News / National
55 Gwanda families homeless after court ordered evictions
27 Oct 2023 at 06:16hrs | Views
A total of 55 families have been rendered homeless following their eviction from their residences in Feber Plot, Gwanda, due to a court-ordered eviction.
Among those affected are 25 schoolchildren attending various primary and secondary schools in Gwanda District. These students returned home from school to discover their parents and belongings stranded by the roadside.
The families, some of whom had resided at the plot since 2010, were initially instructed to leave the premises in March but did not comply with the notice. They had been paying rent to Mr. Elvis Ncube, who was believed to be the plot's owner. However, Mr. Ncube had lost his rights to the property in a legal dispute against Mr. George Robert Parkings.
The tenants were served with the eviction notice on Wednesday morning, and the police, accompanied by security personnel at the plot, oversaw the eviction process in accordance with the court order. The plot had been a home to workers from nearby mines for about two decades.
When a news team from The Chronicle visited the scene, distraught families were seen standing by the roadside with their belongings.
Ms. Faris Mudenda mentioned that they had been paying a monthly rent of US$30 to Mr. Ncube. She explained her surprise when she received a call at work informing her that their belongings were being moved. When she arrived, she found officers and others moving their possessions, with some items being damaged or lost in the process.
Mr. Kenneth Maphaya, who had been living at the plot since 2009, expressed their surprise at the eviction, as they had been paying rent to Mr. Ncube up to June. He emphasized their need for accommodation in Gwanda and the difficulty they faced.
Mary Chitimba, a Lower Six student at Sabiwa High School, was shocked to find her parents stranded by the roadside when she returned home.
In response to the situation, Mr. Ncube explained that he had purchased the property in 2009, paying a deposit, but the owner passed away before he could secure all the necessary paperwork. He stated that he had been living at the plot with around 53 families but lost the land due to a lack of a "letter of no present interest" from the Ministry of Lands, which would have demonstrated his ownership. He vacated the property and advised the tenants to do the same, but they declined. He had last collected rent in March before leaving the place.
Among those affected are 25 schoolchildren attending various primary and secondary schools in Gwanda District. These students returned home from school to discover their parents and belongings stranded by the roadside.
The families, some of whom had resided at the plot since 2010, were initially instructed to leave the premises in March but did not comply with the notice. They had been paying rent to Mr. Elvis Ncube, who was believed to be the plot's owner. However, Mr. Ncube had lost his rights to the property in a legal dispute against Mr. George Robert Parkings.
The tenants were served with the eviction notice on Wednesday morning, and the police, accompanied by security personnel at the plot, oversaw the eviction process in accordance with the court order. The plot had been a home to workers from nearby mines for about two decades.
Ms. Faris Mudenda mentioned that they had been paying a monthly rent of US$30 to Mr. Ncube. She explained her surprise when she received a call at work informing her that their belongings were being moved. When she arrived, she found officers and others moving their possessions, with some items being damaged or lost in the process.
Mr. Kenneth Maphaya, who had been living at the plot since 2009, expressed their surprise at the eviction, as they had been paying rent to Mr. Ncube up to June. He emphasized their need for accommodation in Gwanda and the difficulty they faced.
Mary Chitimba, a Lower Six student at Sabiwa High School, was shocked to find her parents stranded by the roadside when she returned home.
In response to the situation, Mr. Ncube explained that he had purchased the property in 2009, paying a deposit, but the owner passed away before he could secure all the necessary paperwork. He stated that he had been living at the plot with around 53 families but lost the land due to a lack of a "letter of no present interest" from the Ministry of Lands, which would have demonstrated his ownership. He vacated the property and advised the tenants to do the same, but they declined. He had last collected rent in March before leaving the place.
Source - The Chronicle
