Epworth Local Board accused of causing chaos

EPWORTH residents’ associations have described the ongoing exercise to regularise illegal structures as scandalous and accused the Local Board of using questionable layout plans.

Residents’ associations in the dormitory town alleged that the exercise had caused more chaos by reducing stand sizes and creating new buffer zones resulting in people losing their stands.

A 2013 approved layout plan (number H.O.F 8) for Overspill Extension (ward 6) also known as the Robert Mugabe Area seen by Standardpeople has a total of 3 856 stands.

The ward 7 (Adelaide) plan H.O.F 7 shows that a 17 metre wide buffer between Overspill and Adelaide has resulted in some roads being changed, or closed.

Kushinga Epworth Residents Trust (KERET) coordinator John Mabwe said the regularisation process must be in tandem with the original layout plans.

“We are seeing different layout plans which were never seen by the residents,” Mabwe said.

“In ward six (Overspill Extension) council pegged stands using a bogus layout plan of plan number H.O.F 8 and increased them from 3856 to 3904 to benefit some council officials. So the regularisation process is very scandalous. Council is doing what the High Court interdicted. That’s contempt of court.

“In ward 7 (Adelaide) they created their own buffer of 17 metres between Overspill and Adelaide. This saw the roads and demarcations of some stands changing. Already built structures were destroyed as council opened roads as opposed to the layout plan. Stand 16460 was destroyed. The buffer was left to create stands which would benefit their pockets.”

Epworth Residents Development Association secretary Peter Nyapetwa said a number of genuine stand owners have been disenfranchised by the regularisation exercise.

“Council claims that the regularisation process is now 75% complete but that constitute people who benefited corruptly. 50% of original occupants have not benefited. How can council say that regularisation would end crime in Epworth when stands are being illegally allocated to newcomers? That’s a crime,” Nyapetwa said. “The bogus layout is accommodating outsiders and the money from the sold stands is not even benefiting the council. Those who corruptly acquired stands include Epworth police officers.”

Chairperson of the Kushinga Sibamane Development Fund Tinashe Zhou demanded transparency in the regularisation exercise.

But Epworth Local Board chairperson Gift July said the residents’ associations were misinformed, before accusing them of being corrupt.

“Many of these people who complain are the culprits. They’re the ones who take their relatives and illegally allocate them stands,” July said.

“When deserving people get stands the complainers cry foul. The regularisation programme is a residents’ project, they lead and council follows.”

An audit by the Local Board revealed that over 10 000 homes were illegal structures with no access to potable water and sewer reticulation systems.