CHITUNGWIZA - Government has acceded to housing demands by Zanu PF youths in Chitungwiza in a move that has caused an uproar among residents and councillors.
The move has been castigated as partisan designed to rescue the waning political fortunes of those involved in the housing scandal.
On Monday, hundreds of party youths wearing Zanu PF regalia laid siege at the municipality head office but refused to speak to the Daily News on what they were demonstrating for.
A Zanu PF official who declined to be named said the youths were demanding at least three residential stands in each district from the Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo promised to them during the election campaigns last year.
Zanu PF has 30 districts in Chitungwiza and the party official said the youths were planning to sell the stands and use the proceeds for income generating projects while those leading the campaign are protecting “their political empires as the party’s election dates near.”
However, town clerk George Makunde said Local Government deputy minister Biggie Matiza was following the town’s concept plan and had only agreed that Urdcorp, a government company now mandated to deal with the town’s planning processes, look into the suitability of the sites being demanded by the youths for residential stands.
“What I can say is that what the deputy minister did is not for the youth only, but is a part of a process in the town’s concept plan and Urdcorp will make the final decision on areas that need allocation and reallocation,” he said.
Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) programme director Marvellous Kumalo, while welcoming the move by government to provide stands to the youths, said his organisation would not support processes that are flawed and partisan.
“While we might be happy that some residents are likely to be issued with stands in line with government’s ZimAsset programme to provide housing to the needy, however our queries are on the procedures to be used,” Kumalo said. “Stands can not be allocated through the holding of demos by one political party, but only through the national housing policy guidelines which cater for everyone.
“There is an urgent need to find out if the said beneficiaries are on the council waiting housing list and for how long, because we know of people who have been on that list for more than 25 years but are yet to be allocated residential stands.”
Efforts to get a comment from Matiza and Chombo were fruitless.