News / National
Umguza housing battle rages on
18 Oct 2017 at 07:59hrs | Views
THE long-running battle between Umguza Rural District Council (Umguza) and Reigate Compound residents is far from over, as the latter continues to fiercely resist eviction.
The residents have for the past three years been up in arms with the local authority after it changed land use to commercial on a site that they had already occupied.
They had built about 75 housing blocks and approximately 300 families occupied the compound, about eight kilometres from Bulawayo city.
After facing resistance, Umguza resorted to demolishing the structures and cutting water and electricity supplies to the community.
Human rights activists intervened and the matter eventually spilled into the courts, which halted the demolitions. Reigate residents representative Titus Nkasa, 54, vowed that they will not give in to Umguza's demands that they vacate the place.
"Many of those we started the fight with have left and also their houses have been destroyed, but the remaining families have vowed to continue resisting any move to evict them. I am 54, I was born, grew up and worked here, so this is the only home we know," Nkasa said.
"Lately, they have been quiet but we are not surprised though, that has been their modus operandi, they make you relax and when you think it's all over, you see them coming back," Nkasa said.
"As you may be aware, the eviction was influenced by the fact that council had pegged and sold stands which are where we have already built our houses.
"Those who bought the stands have been constantly coming here threatening us to leave but we have told them off," he said.
The Southern News witnessed that the remaining defiant families were now relying on borehole water and one remaining toilet, exposing them to health hazards. Nkasa argued that they had "contributed a lot to the existence of council and therefore they should not just take us for granted.
"...our main worry is that they are trying to evict us today yet the initial arrangement some two decades ago was for us to acquire the houses on permanent basis on a rent-to-buy facility. So, this means all our monies went into a drain?"
"That's why we are saying at least, if they want us out here let them give us land or stands, we are not saying we want it for free even if it means paying, we don't have any problem with that," Nkasa said. He, however, said it was disappointing that since the conflict started, the council's chief executive, Collin Moyo, has not engaged them.
Efforts to get Moyo's comment were fruitless, as his mobile was not reachable.
The residents have for the past three years been up in arms with the local authority after it changed land use to commercial on a site that they had already occupied.
They had built about 75 housing blocks and approximately 300 families occupied the compound, about eight kilometres from Bulawayo city.
After facing resistance, Umguza resorted to demolishing the structures and cutting water and electricity supplies to the community.
Human rights activists intervened and the matter eventually spilled into the courts, which halted the demolitions. Reigate residents representative Titus Nkasa, 54, vowed that they will not give in to Umguza's demands that they vacate the place.
"Many of those we started the fight with have left and also their houses have been destroyed, but the remaining families have vowed to continue resisting any move to evict them. I am 54, I was born, grew up and worked here, so this is the only home we know," Nkasa said.
"Lately, they have been quiet but we are not surprised though, that has been their modus operandi, they make you relax and when you think it's all over, you see them coming back," Nkasa said.
"As you may be aware, the eviction was influenced by the fact that council had pegged and sold stands which are where we have already built our houses.
"Those who bought the stands have been constantly coming here threatening us to leave but we have told them off," he said.
The Southern News witnessed that the remaining defiant families were now relying on borehole water and one remaining toilet, exposing them to health hazards. Nkasa argued that they had "contributed a lot to the existence of council and therefore they should not just take us for granted.
"...our main worry is that they are trying to evict us today yet the initial arrangement some two decades ago was for us to acquire the houses on permanent basis on a rent-to-buy facility. So, this means all our monies went into a drain?"
"That's why we are saying at least, if they want us out here let them give us land or stands, we are not saying we want it for free even if it means paying, we don't have any problem with that," Nkasa said. He, however, said it was disappointing that since the conflict started, the council's chief executive, Collin Moyo, has not engaged them.
Efforts to get Moyo's comment were fruitless, as his mobile was not reachable.
Source - dailynews
