Harare is witnessing the mushrooming of cluster houses across the city despite the municipality not allocating any land for their development and this has laid bare the destructive influence of land barons.
This emerged last week when City of Harare housing director, Edmore Nhekairo, appeared before a commission of inquiry investigating council operations since 2017.
The commission that is chaired by Retired Judge Justice Maphios Cheda was appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May last year to investigate council operations following reports of gross mismanagement and unbridled corruption.
Commission evidence leader Thabani Vusa Mpofu asked Nhekairo what his role was in the development of cluster houses since he was the housing director.
In response, Nhekairo said his role is very minimal, adding that the development of cluster houses fell within the purview of the Town Planning Department.
When asked to comment on the proliferation of cluster homes, Nhekairo said he was also shocked as the municipality had not allocated any land for their development in seven years.
“We have not been allocating any such stands during the period that I have been in Council,” he said.
“That discussion has been held, in fact, there was a stakeholder consultation meeting that was also held at Town House where we profiled the interested stakeholders, particularly from areas of Greendale, Vainona, and Borrowdale, which areas were experiencing a proliferation of this conversion of single dwelling units into cluster homes.
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“I would not say they have not been, because out of that discussion, the town planner is now mindful of the concerns of residents and the impact it is having on not only sewer and water reticulation infrastructure, but even the availability of ancillary facilities like schools, because ordinarily for every 500 stands, there must be a primary school.”
Nhekairo said councillors needed to be questioned as they were actively involved in the allocation of cluster homes.
“Yes that part of the process of this allocation of these cluster houses is that councillors are actually involved in site visits and inspections of proposed cluster developments,” he said.
“Some of the developers are now being extorted by councillors because they are anxious to commence their development.”
Land barons, most with links to the ruling Zanu PF party, are grabbing vast tracts of land including wetlands and illegally selling it to unsuspecting home seekers.
The unsuspecting home seekers have been left counting losses when the local authority demolishes their houses illegally built on council land.
