News / National
Harare Council to slash maize on undesignated land
04 Oct 2013 at 01:57hrs | Views
HARARE City Council (HCC) will slash maize planted on undesignated
pieces of land to curb muggings and cases of assault and murder that
become prevalent during the rainy season when the maize crop provides
criminals with hiding places, a senior council official has said.
HCC director for engineering services Phillip Pfukwa on Tuesday said council would not allow farming on undesignated spaces, especially along roads and paths in high-density areas.
"As a city, we are not against urban farming if it's done in proper places. When it's done, for example, on roadsides, it has multiple problems to the city, for example, traffic obstruction. It gives muggers places to hide and do criminal activities in the maize fields," said Pfukwa.
Pfukwa said residents should desist from cultivating 10-15 metres from the roads as it puts people's lives in danger.
"We should stop the people from doing this by putting prohibitive warning signs before we slash the maize," he said.
The issue of urban agriculture has become an emotive one in the past few years and turned political last year when Zanu PF supporters demonstrated at Town House after their maize had been slashed.
Several urban farmers who spoke to NewsDay yesterday said they would not desist from farming because that was the only way they could supplement their food.
"We will continue farming and we want to see who will remove us," said one farmer who was preparing his land for planting near Kuwadzana high-density suburb along Bulawayo Road.
Harare Residents' Trust co-ordinator Precious Shumba yesterday said: "Urban farming is ideal in as far as food security at household level is concerned. The citizens who are engaged in urban farming are doing so in response to their personal economic and social circumstances."
He said urban farming was on the rise because of increasing urban poverty, given that jobs were scarce.
Shumba said in doing so, residents had to be educated on the best methods of land utilisation, and the provisions of city by-laws on agriculture, especially in view of the continued abuse of wetlands.
HCC director for engineering services Phillip Pfukwa on Tuesday said council would not allow farming on undesignated spaces, especially along roads and paths in high-density areas.
"As a city, we are not against urban farming if it's done in proper places. When it's done, for example, on roadsides, it has multiple problems to the city, for example, traffic obstruction. It gives muggers places to hide and do criminal activities in the maize fields," said Pfukwa.
Pfukwa said residents should desist from cultivating 10-15 metres from the roads as it puts people's lives in danger.
"We should stop the people from doing this by putting prohibitive warning signs before we slash the maize," he said.
The issue of urban agriculture has become an emotive one in the past few years and turned political last year when Zanu PF supporters demonstrated at Town House after their maize had been slashed.
Several urban farmers who spoke to NewsDay yesterday said they would not desist from farming because that was the only way they could supplement their food.
"We will continue farming and we want to see who will remove us," said one farmer who was preparing his land for planting near Kuwadzana high-density suburb along Bulawayo Road.
Harare Residents' Trust co-ordinator Precious Shumba yesterday said: "Urban farming is ideal in as far as food security at household level is concerned. The citizens who are engaged in urban farming are doing so in response to their personal economic and social circumstances."
He said urban farming was on the rise because of increasing urban poverty, given that jobs were scarce.
Shumba said in doing so, residents had to be educated on the best methods of land utilisation, and the provisions of city by-laws on agriculture, especially in view of the continued abuse of wetlands.
Source - Newday
