CHITUNGWIZA magistrate Marehwanazvo Gofa is on April 17 expected to deliver her judgment in the case in which the town’s residents sought the court’s intervention against plans by the municipality and Glory to Glory Housing Co-operatives to demolish houses they said were built illegally. SENIOR REPORTER The development was yesterday confirmed by the residents’ lawyer Marufu Mandevere of the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR).
“The court said it requires us to file written arguments before judgment is passed on 17 April,” Mandevere told NewsDay.
The judgment, which had been scheduled for March 24, had to be further postponed after the presiding magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta was transferred to Harare Magistrates’ Court.
The authorities had planned to pull down houses on February 7 this year, but were stopped after magistrate Nomsa Sabarauta, then based in Chitungwiza, gave a provisional order in favour of an application filed by Chitungwiza Residents Trust (Chitrest) against the demolitions.
More than 14 000 residential stands allocated to home-seekers in Chitungwiza Town and Manyame Rural District Council were deemed illegal and the structures built on them earmarked for demolition.
The residents resorted to the court action after Chitungwiza Municipality started demolitions in the town, with over 50 houses earmarked for destruction.
Chitrest engaged the town authorities seeking to stop the house demolitions, but the council reportedly ignored their pleas and proceeded with razing down the houses.
Residents then petitioned council against the demolitions on January 27 and gave them a seven–day ultimatum, which they ignored, forcing Chitrest to resort to court action.
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Chitungwiza Progressive Residents Association has blamed Local Government minister Ignatius Chombo, arguing that he was responsible for the mess in the town where he presided over the municipality through a commission led by Fungai Mbetsa.
