High Court Grants Harare City Order To Demolish Illegal Houses In Budiriro

High Court judge Justice Helena Charewa on January 29  granted Harare City Council an order to evict illegal occupants of Council land in Budiriro.

The ruling followed an application by Harare town clerk Hosiah Chisango for the permission to evict the illegal settlers. Ruling on the matter, justice Charewa said:

The application for eviction of the first respondent’s (Events Housing Co-operative Society Limited) members be and is, hereby, granted.

The first respondent and all those occupying the applicant’s land through the first and second respondents (chairperson, Events Housing Co-operative Society Limited) are, hereby, ordered to vacate the land and demolish the structures erected on site plan TYP/WR/01/14 Budiriro within 10 days of this order being granted.

The development comes when a number of land seekers are being duped by land barons into using their hard-earned money to buy land which belongs to local government authorities.

Councils nationwide have been demolishing illegal structures whilst in some instances, they would just regularise the settlements.

Land, particularly for residential purposes, has often been used as a political tool to mobilise votes from unsuspecting members of the public.

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