REPORT BY THE MINISTER OF LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS, HOUNARABLE J.G MOYO ON THE DEMOLITIONSIN BUDIRIRO, HARARE,14 DECEMBER 2020.

BACKGROUNG

Due to the rampant illegal occupation on open spaces of land by land barons in Harare, the Harare City Council took illegal occupants of such land to court. To date, Harare City Council has secured twenty-three court rulings in their favor, and twenty two are yet to be executed. The executed one is against Events Housing Cooperative, a splinter group from Tembwe Housing Cooperative.

On the 8th of December 2020,the demolition of illegal structures in Budiriro affected one hundred and thirty four(134)families. While it is a fact that Events Housing Cooperative was in the process of being allocated the said piece of land, Tembwe Housing Cooperative invaded the land resulting in the Harare City Council and the two cooperatives dragging each other to court. The judgment was made on the 29th of January 2020 under case number 4457/19.(see copies of judgment attached as annexure 1)

HARARE CITY COUNCIL LAND ALLOCATION POLICY

The city’s land housing allocation policy clearly states that no housing cooperative is allocated two adjacent pieces of land, hence the split of Events from Tembwe Housing Cooperative. This was done to make it possible for events housing cooperative to acquire the adjacent pieces of land although they were former members of Tembwe Housing Cooperative. The court ruling is not about the legitimate owner of the land between Tembwe and Events housing cooperatives, but was on legal occupation of the in question.

SIDE EFFECTS OF THE DEMOLITIONS

The timing of the demolitions, during the rainy season and the on-going covid 19 pandemic has degenerated into a humanitarian crisis prompting the general public outcry. While the objectives of the court ruling are yet to be fully applied, the Harare

Metropolitan Provincial Civil Protection Committee activated its structures to assist the affected families. A meeting on the 12th of December 2020 between the Civil Protection Committee members and the affected members reached a deadlock on the proposal by the Government and its partners to relocate the affected families to Zimbabwe grounds in Highfields, where thee are water and sanitation facilities, as a temporary measure. The reason for relocating them to Highfields was for the Government not to act against the court order, notwithstanding other challenges associated with the relocation exercise. The affected families’ argument was that, they were not Events Housing Cooperative members but are Tembwe Housing Cooperative members. Their argument was thrown away by the court during the court ruling.

RECOMMENDA TIONS

1. Enforcementofthelawbyalllocalauthorities,includingHarareCityCouncil, should continue for sanity to prevail.
2. Given the sensitivity of the demolition, development partners should use the existing structures and work closely with the office of the Minister of State and Devolution for Harare in providing relief to the affected households, in partnering with Development Partners.
3. While the demolitions have caused a near humanitarian crisis, the rule of law should always be upheld as most of such illegal settlements are breeding grounds for epidemics and other social vices. The occupations are also championed by individuals who are seeking to profiteer from ordinary peoples’ quest for land and housing. These land barons are causing chaos and frustrating orderly development in Harare.
4. Humanitarianassistanceintheformoftents,foodandnon-fooditemswillbe provided by Government and its partners once residents have moved to the proposed site in Highfields ,Harare.