CITY CAR SALES DEMOLISHED

A NUMBER of car sales, which had been pitched along Nemakonde Way (formerly Lomagundi Road) in Harare have been demolished to pave way for roadworks.

The City of Harare had given the owners of the car sales 24 hours to demolish their structures and remove the vehicles being kept there for sale.

They were told to vacate the roadside to make way for contractors hired to widen the road that connects Harare and the new Parliament Building in Mt Hampden.

After the 24-hour notice elapsed, the City of Harare workers returned the next day and started demolishing the fencing at these premises and other structures. The car sale owners pleaded with the Council to be given alternative premises to carry out their business.

“We were given a notice to vacate this place and make way for a road,” one car sales dealer, who refused to be named, said.

“They (City of Harare workers) came and demolished our fences and structures using a grader and they are coming back soon to demolish the offices, we just got a verbal notice but nothing in writing. They told us they want to build a road up to the new Parliament.

“We have nowhere to go and we might be headed to our rural areas because we have not been given alternative premises to operate from.” He added:

“We are now selling steel (used to fence the car sales) at give-away prices as low as US$20 while some of the cars we are giving them back to their owners.

“The owners of the cars are rushing to get their vehicles because they (City of Harare) said if they return and the cars are still there, they will destroy the cars and demolish whatever structure, including these offices, still standing.

“We are citizens of Zimbabwe and the Government must help us survive.

“I think they are seeing what is happening and we hope they will intervene.”