Tuckshops demolition move criticised

Harare City Council’s warning on illegal structures has been criticised by a section of the residents.

They accuse Council of double standards as they reportedly claim that they do not have manpower to collect garbage in the wake of Covid-19 pandemic, yet they have the manpower to destroy structures and also slash crops planted on roadsides and wetlands.

On Tuesday, Council, through its social media platforms, warned of an upcoming operation to remove all illegal dwellings and businesses.

This is part of efforts to restore order in the city. “All illegal tuckshop owners across town should stop operations and remove their structures before 18 February, 2021. An operation to remove illegal structures is coming soon.

Included are illegal dwellings which have been built without approval. There are residents taking advantage of the lockdown to build illegally,” reads the statement.

However, this did not go down well people who slammed the move as inhuman during a time when a number of people are not working and businesses are closed due to the lockdown restrictions.

“City of Harare has the manpower to destroy people’s livelihoods, but have no manpower to collect trash, to provide clean water, or to repair the roads,” bemoaned Takura Kureva, a tuck shop owner in Kambuzuma.

Lawrence Kuleya, Harare province Zimbabwe Combined Residents and Ratepayers Association (ZICORRA) coordinator, said Council should consider the Covid19 pandemic crisis before they destroy illegal structures.

“The first question to be asked is who gave them permission to be operating in the first place if they’re illegal?

“Those tuck-shops have been operating for years right in the eyes of council.

“All the answers to these questions point to Council ... If they were illegal and operating, this simply points to corruption within councils. The problem isn’t with the tuckshop owners, but with Council.

“It is true that tuck-shops had just come up everywhere and this must be addressed, but the corruption within councils in this sector must be addressed,” he maintained.

“Can they start by collecting refuse first?

“When it comes to service delivery they give excuses.

“Now people are under lockdown how do they expect people to survive,” said one resident in Mufakose.

“It never rains, but pours for the economically incapacitated majority of Zimbabweans.

“In as much as cartels and land barons as well as our Councillors are the chief movers of corruption, this is about to cost them their hard earned properties as they continue to roam about the streets of Harare as free men and women with their full to the brim pot bellies.

“They are responsible for parcelling out land, after eating people’s monies they run to the courts and push for demolitions.

“It’s the voter who loses his/her money as well as the structure,” said Malvern Mayedzwa.