Council to repossess more housing stands

BULAWAYO City Council  is set to repossess a number of undeveloped stands in Emganwini high density suburb, some of which are situated on wetlands.

The local authority has served beneficiaries of the housing stands with noncompliance letters for failure to develop them since 2002, latest council minutes reveal.

According to BCC director of housing and community services, Dictor Khumalo, the stands targeted for repossession were allocated to the beneficiaries between September 15, 2000 and November 21, 2002.

"Some beneficiaries were served with non-compliance letters and constant checks showed that there were no developments on the stands to date," Khumalo is quoted saying in a report tabled at  the December 8 full council meeting.

"These stands had been turned into refuse dumping sites, thus posing a health hazard. The stands also owe rates."

The council's human capital office had no objections to the housing and community services department repossessing the idle stands.

Indications are that when a visit was made to the area, it was discovered that some of the stands were situated on wetlands, while there has not been any spatial planning objections to repossession of the stands.

The report stated that the chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou argued that if notices had been given, and the notice period had expired, council must repossess the stands in terms of the agreements of sale.

"The financial director (Kempton Ndimande) had no objection to the intention to repossess the stands," the report said.

"The beneficiaries should be dealt with as per policy.

"The department's view was that the stands be repossessed and be allocated to beneficiaries on the council waiting list as per policy with the exception of stand 6001.

"The beneficiary of stand 6001 had already done a slab development and should be given a further building period extension of 24 months, failure of which council would take stern action."

Council also said after repossession, the beneficiaries must be given the first preference to re-purchase the stands at a price to be determined by the city valuer.

"An extension fee of the building period of $7 000 will be paid," the report added.

"Failure to take up the offer in terms of policy, the stands will be re-allocated to other beneficiaries on the council waiting list in terms of procedure."

Last year, the local authority repossessed an initial 179 stands in Cowdray Park, Entumbane and Pumula after some of the owners went for up to 22 years without making any meaningful development on their stands, which they acquired in 1998.

Bulawayo has a housing waiting list of over 100 000.