'Brace for more demolitions in Harare'

HARARE provincial development coordinator (PDC) Tafadzwa Muguti has warned of more demolitions, adding that people must not accuse President Emmerson Mnangagwa and his ministers if their illegal structures were destroyed as the move was meant to clean up the city.

In a statement yesterday, Muguti said there were no sacred cows.

His statement also came soon after several houses were demolished in Budiriro. The Chitungwiza City Council was said to be planning to demolish about 11 000 illegal structures.

"What we have started has made many people angry. It is worse that most Twitter fanatics hate anything said by Mnangagwa and can't appreciate that crime cannot be politicised. It's time we separate that analogy," Muguti said.

Mnangagwa's government has been accused by the MDC Alliance and other stakeholders of leading demolitions in Harare and Chitungwiza, which have left many homeless.

"The players and barons are not spirits, robots or myths. These people are very powerful with a lot of connections obtained over the last 15 years or so. These people have amassed so much wealth selling land illegally. Most are very politically-connected and many are even politicians," he said.

Muguti continued: "Land barons work with council officials and have access to every document, every plan and every record that might at any point disrupt their activities. That explains why documents that we sign as senior government officials are leaking daily. This compromises investigations and governance."

He said investigations in most cases have been affected by deliberate leakages of vital information.

"There are so many investigations done on Harare province and all other land matters. Arrests get complicated as evidence is destroyed internally or most times it's politicised," he said.

"Most of the attacks I get are from Zanu-PF and MDC Alliance groups who politicise our work."

"There are over 49 judgments that the sheriff is going to enforce in the coming months. It is important that people know the full list of these demolitions. Stop building on illegal land and stop criminals from selling land in courts. All councils should publish these judgments," Muguti said.

He said there was a direct plot to smear his name and those ministers fighting land barons. But MDC Alliance deputy national spokesperson Clifford Hlatywayo said the Zanu-PF government was responsible for demolitions through Muguti's office.

"The MDC Alliance is strongly opposed to the on-coming house demolitions in Chitungwiza by the Zanu-PF-led central government, through the office of the PDC. He has used council officials to carry out such a heinous act in the midst of the rains and the deadly pandemic. This has been done without the authority or a resolution of council. This is a clear act of interference with the work of the council which is against the spirit and letter of devolution agreed upon by Zimbabweans in chapter 14, section 274 of the Constitution," Hlatywayo said.

He said technical wings of councils were controlled by the Zanu-PF government.