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Garikai houses still not serviced

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Gwanda Town Council mayor Lionel DeNecker on Wednesday expressed concern over the government’s alleged delay in handing over houses built under the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai scheme to the local authority. “The government at some point indicated that the houses would he handed over to the local authority, but nothing has happened so far. The houses are […]

Gwanda Town Council mayor Lionel DeNecker on Wednesday expressed concern over the government’s alleged delay in handing over houses built under the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai scheme to the local authority.

“The government at some point indicated that the houses would he handed over to the local authority, but nothing has happened so far. The houses are still not having sewer, water and electricity connection because the government is doing nothing since they were constructed,” said DeNecker.

He said the residents relied on borehole water as they were not yet connected to the council’s water mains. The housing project was not on the local authority’s master plan.

DeNecker said desperate residents had approached council for provision of water, sewer and electricity since the government had failed to provide services.

“We have problems in assisting all the affected residents because the government has not handed them over to us. But for the houses which are close to other council, approved suburbs, we are trying to assist them to get connection. We do that after they pay service rates like any other residents” said DeNecker.

In 2005, the government built over 200 houses in Gwanda town following Operation Murambatsvina which left about 700 000 people internally displaced after their homes were demolished in all major towns and cities.

Councils had initially declined to take over the project arguing the housing units were built on unserviced land, but later reneged on humanitarian grounds.

Local authorities’ policy is that before houses are built, the land must be serviced according to each town’s planning procedures.