Makokoba residents fight eviction

OCCUPANTS of BMC houses in Makokoba, owned by Bulawayo City Council (BCC), have refused to engage the local authority as individuals to stop their eviction, saying this will promote corruption.

This is after the council said the affected resident must approach the local authority as individuals to plead their case after they were given a 3-month eviction notice.

They recently petitioned the local authority to withdraw the eviction notice which is going to affect over 70 tenants Makokoba peace committee secretary Thandiwe Moyo said they engaged the Combined Bulawayo Residents Association, BMC committee and the BCC housing and community office and agreed that they will only plead their case as a group and not as individuals.

"This will help in minimising corruption," Moyo said.

BMC residents' committee chairperson Nkosiyabo Ndlovu added: "We have heard of people who have allegedly been bribing the housing and community office.

"The peace committee must approach the authorities and make it clear that individual approach is not an approach to be considered. It will only promote corruption and fail to solve the issue that we are battling with." Ward 9 councillor Shadrek Sibanda said he would engage other councillors about the plight of residents. "I will engage them on the first week of August," Sibanda said.