Gwanda residents in solidarity with Harare residents of demolished houses

Gwanda Residents Association spokesperson Bekezela Maduma Fuzwayo has extended solidarity to the Harare residents who are continuing tom loose their houses through demolitions and called for the authorities t6o stop the destruction.

Please stop this wanton demolishing of people's houses. This is extremely inhuman and very barbaric," Fuzwayo said.

"This country went into a long and bloody war simply for people to get access to land. This is the land we are talking about on which today people are being treated like animals."

He said Zimbabweans are averagely not mad people that so many people could just wake up deciding to build all those huge houses that are being demolished without someone in authority authorising the construction.

"How do the houses get connected to electricity, water, sewage and even refuse collection with access roads and all if someone somewhere didn't authorise the construction?Why were they left to build and finish and stay in those houses some for as long as up to twenty years in an illegal area?" he said.

Fuzwayo said this is the highest degree of evidence of an uncaring government both local and central.

"A caring government will emulate an example of the South African government where people "illegally" settled at a place called Freedom Park and government realising the people's need for settlement formalised the informal settlement and put proper infrastructure for the people. Today Freedom Park is growing into a budding township with everything you would need for 21st century human settlement," he said.

"It's so shocking to see a porch suburb as the one along airport road in Harare which we have seen for years now just being brought to the ground at just a click of a finger."

Fuzwayo said if the government cares, whether it's local or central whoever is responsible for the demolishing, they would have found means of regularising the buildings and started seriously working on closing the gaps in their systems that expose innocent citizens to such inhumane treatment.

"After all if the truth be told all that land will definitely in future be allocated to some people for similar constructions. Then why demolish the houses now? Is it because someone didn't get "a cut" from the current occupants so they must go and those who "feed" (abadlisayo) come and take over," he said.

"If these are the last kicks of a dying horse then goodness forbid the kicks are just too strong can the horse die quickly before it dies with innocent citizens making honest investments for their children."