The deputy minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Daniel Garwe said that the government will not demolish the illegal settlements built in urban and peri-urban areas.
Garwe said instead of demolishing the houses, the government will hire engineers to redevelop and redesign all informal housing sites.
He made the remarks while speaking to senior council officials from Bulawayo, Matabeleland North and South provinces recently. Said Garwe:
Of course, one or two homes would be sacrificed where a road must be constructed. Be that as it may, those people would be resettled.
We are not going to demolish as said by the opposition forces but we are going to bring in planners and engineers to design roads that suit the developments that have taken place.
Garwe also warned land barons to desist from selling State land saying their days were numbered.
Over the past decade, informal housing settlements with no sewer and water reticulation systems, electricity and have damaged roads, have sprouted in almost every town and city in Zimbabwe.
Back to top