Harare mayor Jacob Mafume has directed the city council to reverse all leases and demolish illegal structures encroaching on Robert Mugabe Square, following a directive from Local Government minister Daniel Garwe The move comes after Garwe ordered an immediate halt to subdivisions on the prime land, earmarked for government projects In a letter to the Harare town clerk, Garwe ordered the council to reverse all leases on the disputed land, suspend planning approvals in the area and prepare for demolitions if occupants resist eviction “The government has noted with concern the subdivision and encroachments on Robert Mugabe Square and is, therefore, requesting the urgent handover of the property to the ministry of Local Government,” the circular reads
“You are directed to withdraw all allocations done and suspend all planning processes you have initiated on the remainder of Stand 3972 with immediate effect.”
Mafume accused individuals of illegally parcelling out land and erecting substandard structures, warning that the city would reclaim the site by force if necessary “The finance department must act and instruct occupants to vacate “If they refuse, we will move in with bulldozers.”
He expressed frustration over unauthorised developments, including a bus company allegedly leasing space in front of the municipal police station and security walls being erected at the square “These are low-quality structures causing chaos,” he said
“If proper buildings were going up, it might be different “But this is just land grabbing.”
Mafume also cited other illegal occupations, including at the Kuwadzana Fire Brigade station, where structures were erected during elections “People thought they could get away with it because they assumed I’d be removed as mayor Now we must clean up this mess,” he said
The mayor accused corrupt officials of enabling illegal land sales, tarnishing the council’s reputation Source: The Standard Zimbabwe
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Source: Thestandard
