News / National
BCC threatens to repossess industrial, commercial stands
23 May 2021 at 07:26hrs | Views
THE Bulawayo City Council will soon be moving in to repossess industrial and commercial stands from individuals and companies that have gone for years without paying their rates and rentals.
The local authority has further noted that at some of the stands little or no developmental work has taken place. Previously BCC has targeted residential stands for repossession. 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.
Speaking during a service delivery update media briefing, BCC director of engineering services, Engineer Simela Dube revealed that as part of their urban planning process the local authority will soon be moving to industrial and commercial stands that have gone for years without being developed and the landlords flouting rental payments.
"With the premise of urban planning we have areas where we have absentee landlords for both commercial and industrial stands, where for industrial stands we have 875 absent landlords and for commercial we have 108. We will soon be advertising these stands and pursued with the different landlords for them to come forward and clear their arrears or these stands become available for disposal by the city," said Eng Dube.
A couple of years ago the local authority gave 1 009 property owners that had abandoned their assets or negated to pay rates and develop their stands a final 30-day notice before the local authority repossesses and auctions them.
In 2014 the local authority had initially flighted advertisements exposing over 2 000 properties which the owners had not only abandoned but were not paying their obligated rates and rentals. BCC has the authority to repossess these properties as guided by the Titles registration and derelict lands Act (chapter 20:20).
The Act states that; "Persons having claim on derelict land may apply to High Court or other public body upon immovable property in Zimbabwe and such property is abandoned, deserted derelict, and the owner thereof cannot be found, it shall be lawful for the person or body claiming such rate or assessment to apply to the High Court, stating the amount claimed to be due and the grounds applying for relief under this Act."
The local authority has further noted that at some of the stands little or no developmental work has taken place. Previously BCC has targeted residential stands for repossession. 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.
Speaking during a service delivery update media briefing, BCC director of engineering services, Engineer Simela Dube revealed that as part of their urban planning process the local authority will soon be moving to industrial and commercial stands that have gone for years without being developed and the landlords flouting rental payments.
"With the premise of urban planning we have areas where we have absentee landlords for both commercial and industrial stands, where for industrial stands we have 875 absent landlords and for commercial we have 108. We will soon be advertising these stands and pursued with the different landlords for them to come forward and clear their arrears or these stands become available for disposal by the city," said Eng Dube.
A couple of years ago the local authority gave 1 009 property owners that had abandoned their assets or negated to pay rates and develop their stands a final 30-day notice before the local authority repossesses and auctions them.
In 2014 the local authority had initially flighted advertisements exposing over 2 000 properties which the owners had not only abandoned but were not paying their obligated rates and rentals. BCC has the authority to repossess these properties as guided by the Titles registration and derelict lands Act (chapter 20:20).
The Act states that; "Persons having claim on derelict land may apply to High Court or other public body upon immovable property in Zimbabwe and such property is abandoned, deserted derelict, and the owner thereof cannot be found, it shall be lawful for the person or body claiming such rate or assessment to apply to the High Court, stating the amount claimed to be due and the grounds applying for relief under this Act."
Source - sundaynews
