A LAND ownership wrangle between government and mobile operator Econet Wireless has stalled progress in the construction of houses for Cyclone Idai victims in Chimanimani, two years after tragedy struck.
This was revealed in a report presented before the National
Assembly on Thursday by the joint Parliamentary Portfolio Committees on Local
Government and the Thematic Committee on Peace and Security on progress made in
construction of COVID-19 centres in areas affected by floods.
Parliament also noted that government had not yet started
the rehabilitation of infrastructure in areas mostly affected by Cyclone Idai,
which include Chimanimani, Bikita and Tsholotsho.
“The committee was informed during its first fact-finding
visit to Chimanimani District in July 2019 that Econet Wireless had pledged to
build houses for the survivors of Cyclone Idai. Upon enquiry on the progress
made in that regard, the committee was notified that there was a disagreement
between Econet and government pertaining to the ownership of the land,” read
the report.
“The district development co-ordinator informed the
committee that Econet Wireless wanted title to the land on which the houses
would be built, but government was against the idea. Giving title of the land
to Econet Wireless implied that government was ceding ownership and control of
the land as well as the project to Econet Wireless. Resultantly, due to that
impasse, the project had stalled.”
According to the World Food Programme, at least 185 people
died and 270 000 were left in urgent need of humanitarian aid.
“The committee gathered from the survivors that, indeed,
they were living in conditions of severe food insecurity and this situation was
exacerbated by the alleged rampant corruption in the selection of beneficiaries
and the distribution of food aid,” the report read.
MPs also said there were reports that government had
stopped efforts by the local authorities in Chimanimani to rehabilitate
infrastructure in some affected areas for undisclosed reasons. Newsday
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