Maravi

(HERALD) Council orders fresh clean-up

Council orders fresh clean-up
Municipal Reporter

HARARE City councillors have urged management to demolish, with immediate effect, all mushrooming illegal structures amid fears that the city is fast sliding back to the pre-Operation Murambatsvina period.

The MDC-T dominated council also asked management to ensure that sanity prevails at markets where some vending stallholders were not paying anything to the local authority. Councillors cited unsanctioned markets at the Boka Auction Floors, Mbare and Newlands.

They also expressed concern over squatter camps in Gunhill, along Mukuvisi River, among other places in the city.

Deputy mayor Councillor Emmanuel Chiroto said council should not promote anarchy.

"Let us not promote anarchy. Let us do away with illegal structures. We need to move fast to restore order," he said.

Mayor, Mr Muchadeyi Masunda, said council should not promote the development of another Kibera in Harare.

Kibera in Nairobi, Kenya, is the largest slum settlement in Africa with over a million people who live under unhygienic conditions that promote the spread of diseases and crime.

He said council should deploy "foot soldiers" to audit illegal structures in the city and bring them to the attention of the authorities.

"We do not want another Kibera here. We have by-laws — let us enforce them," he said.

Clr Friday Muleya accused management of double standards when he said each time councillors asked for the deployment of security details to remove squatters and their illegal structures – the argument was always that there was no manpower, but when ever workers went on strike, all the municipal police details were deployed.

He accused Mr Masunda, Clr Chiroto and town clerk, Dr Tendai Mahachi of failing to enforce council resolutions.

"We feel our resolutions are dying in your offices. You are not following up on our resolutions," he said.

Clr Paul Gorekore accused senior officials of promoting the emergence of illegal structures.

Clr Thomas Muzuva who said some of the people operating the illegal markets have council receipts concurred with Clr Gorekore.

"We are going back to the pre-Murambatsvina era. Some of our officials are allocating the illegal markets," he said.

Clr Charles Nyachowe said the mushrooming of illegal structures was a reflection of the city’s bad planning.

"The people are simply following the markets. We should help our people to do their work properly," he said.

Clr Sasha Jogi defended the illegal sculptor market at Newlands Shopping Centre saying the council needed to understand that the people needed to earn a living.

But Clr Herbert Gomba said all illegal structures should be removed within a month.

Clr Panganayi Charumbira complained of the chaos at the city’s established markets like Mupedzanhamo, Machipisa and the Green market at Mbare where he said some stallholders were not paying anything to council despite them subdividing and subletting their stalls.

Labels: HARARE, MARKETEERS, MDC, MURAMBATSVINA

posted by MrK @ 5:03 AM