Rifts projected over new rural, urban boundaries
THE development trajectory in the country requires rural and urban councils to prepare to deal with any conflicts that may arise when new boundaries are set, leading to the displacement of communities, Midlands Provincial Administrator Mr Abiot Maronge has said.
Officiating at the launch of a document on Guidelines and Recommendation for Compensation of Local Authorities Displaced by Growth Point Expansion and Rural Development Projects in Gweru, Mr Maronge said development projects and the expansion of growth points and business centres were displacing communities, leading to conflicts between villagers and local authorities.
“The economy is certainly going to revive, it is going to grow and as that happens we are going to see housing development taking place in our various spaces, in our rural district service centres, at our growth points and as this happens, inevitably, it displaces communities,” he said.
“It has that effect wherever you go that urban development is an inevitable process that has some effects of displacement and that is why we are here to see how we can manage that process.
“How do we strike a balance between the interest of the community and the public when we build a school or a clinic that is in the public interest, but the inevitable result is that which I have talked about? That school may eat into someone’s land, how do we strike the balance?”
Mr Maronge said the document, which is a result of consultations and research sponsored by the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation, recommends what needs to be done in compensating affected communities.
“It is a document that we expect to give us some guidelines as we drive the urban development agenda,” he said. “This is a timely intervention, in my view, because we expect that in the short to medium term we are going to see very visible development on the ground.”
In a statement, CCMT director Mr Wonder Phiri said the document provided rural district councils with a clear roadmap on how to facilitate mutual agreements with the affected communities.
“It gives the communities sufficient notice, conduct of consultations and negotiating resettlement and compensation models based on valuations and impact assessments,” he said.
Zimbabwe has experienced rapid urbanisation and the expansion of mining and rural development projects in the past 20 years, leading to displacement or resettlement of the affected people.
This has led to conflicts between authorities requiring land for development and occupants of the land earmarked for development.
“Conflicts emerge about public notice and consultations, resettlement on adequate land, compensation for improvements and disruptions, and replacement of social infrastructure and community developments,” said Mr Phiri.
He encouraged RDCs in the Midlands province to adopt the document while using it to minimise conflict associated with resettlement and compensation of communities affected by growth point expansion or other rural development projects.
“We hope that the guidelines and recommendations by the Midlands Province will support dialogue and policy development at national level on resettlement and compensation of local communities,” said Mr Phiri.
The guidelines and recommendations were developed by a provincial working group with representatives from the provincial administrator’s office, the Department of Physical Planning, the eight RDCs in the Midlands and members of the affected communities.