STAFF WRITER
RESIDENTS in Hwange have accused councillors in the area of enriching themselves by illegally acquiring more land at the expense of residents.
Greater Hwange Residents Association chair Fidelis Chima told The Zambezi Times that they were convinced that the town fathers were abusing their offices when it comes to land dealings.
“….what I know is that they are not following government directives in acquiring stands. Circular 92 states that they should have one residential stand and one commercial stand in their lifetime but we are seeing councillors acquiring more and more stands in direct defiance of government circular,” Chima said.
Turning to illegal brick moulding which has lately become a headache to Hwange Local Board (HLB), Chima also accused councillors of being involved in the scam.
‘We engaged EMA (Environmental Management Agency) to regulate brick moulding and I am sure you noticed that council has been trying to demolish bricks from the illegal activities that were taking place at designate sites. But unfortunately councillors and council officials are involved in brick moulding,” he said.
Contacted for comment, Hwange Local Board public relations officer Dumisani Nsingo referred questions to town secretary Ndumiso Mdlalose who by the time of publishing had not responded to questions sent to him.
However, the local authority recently raised alarm over the rise in the number of people involved in sand poaching for brick moulding purposes.
The pits left out as a result of the poaching activities has seen EMA giving HLB an ultimatum to rehabilitate the affected area
as the massive deforestation and proliferation of open pits were posing a potential hazard.
Last month the HLB said: “To date, we have started the rehabilitation process in earnest as we seek to stick to EMA’s order which states that we should have rehabilitated the affected areas on or before the 25th of September 2020. We have approached various stakeholders including the District Development Coordinator’s office and members of the security services to assist us in eradicating this illegal activity.”
The local authority further indicated that they were currently mobilising resources to rehabilitate the affected areas.
“We remain committed in preserving the environment as well as ensuring the safety of members of the community.”
