HARARE City Council (HCC) yesterday demolished several “illegal” houses in New Tafara.
Acting town clerk Phakamile Mabhena Moyo said the affected
families had illegally settled themselves on a piece of land reserved for
council employees.
“That area was allocated to City of Harare workers who have
valid allocation letters signed by the director of Housing and Community
Services,” Moyo said.
One of the affected residents, Getrude Kundiranga, said
police threw teargas to disperse them.
“The police had dogs, guns and they threw teargas canisters
at the civilians. My house has been demolished and my three-year-old daughter
and I have nowhere to go,” Kundiranga said.
Combined Harare Residents Association president Rueben
Akili warned homeseekers not to buy land from land barons.
“It has become a growing trend that as we head towards
elections for the past 10 years, there are issues of politically-motivated land
invasions,” Akili said.
In a related case, Harare Metropolitan province secretary
Tafadzwa Muguti yesterday said 75% of businesses in the capital were operating
illegally.
“Harare Metropolitan Province contributes between 51% to
59% of the national GDP (gross domestic product).
“However, a few months ago, I tasked the Zimbabwe Republic
Police and the local authorities to visit all businesses within the province
and it was disheartening to note then that 75% of our businesses in the
province were operating illegally.
“Some didn’t have certificates of incorporation and were
not even paying taxes and levies. We also note that most of the businesses were
not banking their money and not contributing to the general welfare of the
province.”
He added: “Government will not stand by and entertain
lawlessness, so it is important that we find ourselves doing the right things.”
Newsday
0 comments:
Post a Comment