HARARE – The City of Harare on Thursday destroyed several properties in Ridgeview, Belvedere, accusing owners of building illegally.
Dozens of families were rendered homeless as graders knocked down their houses in the operation which will spread citywide, said the director of planning Samuel Nyabeza.
The city had identified settlements in Ridgeview which were built using fake papers, with some illegal settlers claiming that they were allocated the land by the state, Nyabeza said.
The city says the illegal structures were initially destroyed last year but the occupiers, at the instigation of the land barons who sold them the land, returned and erected new structures.
The city says it issued the illegal settlers prior warning to vacate the settlements before the demolitions.
Nyabeza said they will intensify demolitions of illegal settlements and warned land barons that they will be arrested, “without fear or favour.”
He added: “We have to restore order in the city and we will not tolerate a situation where people just build houses without approvals and permission from council. A settlement has to be planned with all amenities in place before people start building.
“You cannot build a house without council-approved plans; you cannot build where there are no sewer and water facilities. We urge residents to check with the City of Harare before buying land. Even when building a structure, every stage should have council approvals.”
