More than 1 000 Chitungwiza municipal workers at the weekend invaded Mhundwa village under Manyame Rural District Council and started pegging themselves stands in pastures and fields in protest against the refusal by their employer to allocate them housing stands.
The workers accused their bosses of gross incompetence by
turning a blind eye to activities of land barons while failing to provide them
with residential stands.
They also demanded the firing of the entire Chitungwiza
municipality management. Chitungwiza municipality workers union president Mr
Ephraim Katsinha said the workers decided to take matter into their own hands
after their plea for residential stands appeared to have fallen on deaf ears.
“We have approached our employer several times over the
years, to request for a residential stands for our members to no avail,” he
said.
“What is painful is that some workers have been working for
this council for over 30 years but don’t even own a house. They are turning a
blind eye to the activities of land barons who are taking up large tracts of
land under council’s jurisdiction without any benefit accruing to it,” he said.
On why they had decided to grab land, which falls under
another local authority, Mr Katsinha said it was a protest strategy to make
their grievances heard.
Chitungwiza mayor Councillor Lovemore Maiko called on the
workers to follow proper channels when airing their grievances.
“We are yet to obtain the details on this land invasion in
Manyame by our workers. However it must be noted that we are a law-abiding
entity and we operate and do our things within the confines of the law at any
level of the council,” he said.
Manyame rural district council ward one councillor Mr
Blessing Tangwara said the invasion was reported to the police.
Harare metropolitan provincial development coordinator, Mr
Tafadzwa Muguti, who officiated at the ground breaking ceremony of Chitungwiza
council’s town house yesterday, called on the council to address the issues
raised by its workers. Herald
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