The imposition
of the moratorium on the issuance of development permits is aimed at
regularising existing illegal settlements and curbing the proliferation of
unauthorised developments that have emerged as a result of the activities of
land barons.
The decision
comes in the wake of increasing concerns regarding the exploitation of
unsuspecting home-seekers by unscrupulous land barons.
These
individuals have been known to mislead prospective homeowners, duping them out
of their hard-earned money by selling plots on State land.
In an
interview, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Soda Zhemu emphasised
the gravity of the situation and implored citizens to stay away from land
barons.
“They should
not go to land barons . . . the Government gave a moratorium where issuance or
applications for development permits have been stopped. Currently, there is no
State land that you can apply for and get granted authority to do some
developments. That has been stopped. That was a result of the land barons who
would go to unsuspecting prospective house owners and dupe them of their
hard-earned money,” Minister Zhemu said.
He said the
Government needed to first deal with a number of the issues, which include the
regularisation of the already-built illegal settlements before resuming issuing
permits.
“One of the
issues being regularisation and sanitisation of the settlements that have been
created without proper plans. So we are dealing with that at the moment.
“We cannot have
a situation where we are dealing with the problem and we allow new problems to
continue to be caused.”
The moratorium
is also seen as a necessary step to ensure compliance with the Regional Town
and Country Planning Act and other pertinent regulations.
The Government
has introduced a one-stop shop for building plan approvals, aiming to
streamline the process and ensure that all developments adhere to established
guidelines.
Minister Zhemu
said approximately 65 000 title deeds could be issued to residents in areas
such as Epworth and Chitungwiza, where illegal settlements have taken root due
to the actions of land barons.
This initiative
is part of the Government’s broader strategy to regularise and legitimise
existing settlements while safeguarding against future illegal encroachments.
It is
anticipated that the Government’s latest measures will restore order to the
housing sector and protect the interests of honest citizens. Herald
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