Relief for illegal settlers

THE Bulawayo City Council has decided against evicting illegal settlers who resettled themselves on land belonging to the local authority at Hyde Park on the outskirts of the city, instead preferring to start procedures to regularise their stay.

The 18 stands under dispute had been awarded to vulnerable families in Mazwi, Methodist, Robert Sinyoka and St Peter’s villages as part of a scheme that had seen the council with the International Organisation for Migration (IOM) coming together to relocate 197 squatters from Killarney and Trenance.

In the facility IOM was to construct houses, Blair toilets and community taps for the villagers. Villagers from the four villages were further tasked with selecting 18 vulnerable families among themselves, who will then benefit from the facility.

However, despite having produced an original list of 18 vulnerable families, some villagers defied the directive and instead went on to illegally settle on the land, arguing that they were children of the villagers and had participated in the housing project, thus causing an impasse which has been dragging on since 2013.

In the latest development the local authority has passed a resolution to rescind their initial decision to have the illegal settlers evicted, instead deciding to regularise their stay from the date of their occupation and that they start paying council rentals.

“Efforts to evict the families had been difficult because IOM and the area councillor (Ephraim Ncube) had supported the occupants of the plots despite being not approved, as such; the 18 families have been in occupation without paying to council since June 2013.

“The community of Hyde Park through their Village Development Committees from the four villages — St Peters, Mazwi, New Mazwi village, Robert Sinyoka and Methodist had convened a meeting together with Clr Ncube to resolve the impasse. The meeting unanimously agreed that council regularise the stay of the 18 members of the community,” reads part of a council report.

In minutes of a meeting held between villagers, the settlers and Clr Ncube, villagers supported the settlers arguing that they were heavily involved in the construction of the housing project and it was unfair to just evict them.

“All members of the Village Development Committees were in support of the 18 members of the community to remain settled at New Mazwi village. These 18 should now be settled officially by the Bulawayo City Council like all other residents and pay rent. The 18 were present and participated fully during the ground breaking ceremony.

“The 18 worked hard to accommodate new settlers, they fully contributed labour to enable the completion of all construction of houses in the village and the secondary school. They were also involved at all stages of the project, from the pegging of stands, foundations, during the use of tents as houses until the houses were completed, even the secondary school is being completed by the very people which council wants to expel,” read part of the minutes.

In an interview with Sunday News, Clr Ncube, was ecstatic that the impasse had been resolved once and for all.

“It was a straight forward matter, council simply had to endorse the list and recognise these people rather than just to rush to evict them,” he said.

“All members of the Village Development Committees were in support of the 18 members of the community to remain settled at New Mazwi village. These 18 should now be settled officially by the Bulawayo City Council like all other residents and pay rent”