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NewsDay

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Gweru stands overpriced

News
Gweru residents have appealed to city councillors to intervene and ensure council reduce the price for residential stands after it emerged most of the stands in the city had been priced beyond residents’ reach. The residents told NewsDay in separate interviews last week, most of the stands being sold by the council were being bought […]

Gweru residents have appealed to city councillors to intervene and ensure council reduce the price for residential stands after it emerged most of the stands in the city had been priced beyond residents’ reach.

The residents told NewsDay in separate interviews last week, most of the stands being sold by the council were being bought by buyers from outside the city as they were too expensive.

Early this month, council announced that it had several low-density residential stands for sale.

Some stands measuring between 1 500 and 3 800 square metres have not been taken up as residents cannot afford the $13 000 and $30 400 charged per each unit.

A resident Tapiwa Machemedze said she had been on the council’s housing list for more than 10 years but could not afford the stands.

“I cannot afford the stands, I am a vendor at Kudzanayi (bus terminus) and the stands are just expensive,” Machemedze said.

Another resident Abel Rugube said: “I was amazed to see the list of stands on offer with other residential stands going for over $26 000.

“Can the poor afford that? Council has to do something to ensure that even the worker who does not earn much can afford to buy a stand.”

Gweru Residents and Ratepayers’ Association chairperson Cornilius Seliphiwe told NewsDay there was need for dialogue between councillors and residents to make the stands affordable.

“Council should remember that we are coming from a lost decade in terms of economic development, where workers lost all their savings due to dollarisation,” Seliphiwe said.

But Gweru deputy mayor Taurai Demo attributed the huge cost to high fees charged by land developers hired by council to service stands.

“There isn’t much profit council will get from selling the stands.

“Council was selling the stands at $2 per square metre and the rest is to recover cost from the developers,” Demo said.

Gweru mayor Tedious Chimombe said they had resolved to review the prices charged on low-density stands following complaints from residents.