Furious Government Launches Investigation Into Belvedere Demolitions

The government has launched an investigation into the Harare City Council’s demolitions last week in Belvedere.

The Council left Harare residents dumbstruck after it sent bulldozers to Ridgeview to raze down houses it termed illegal. The authority said it demolished the houses because the development was not authorised.

ALSO REAd: Harare City Council Speaks Out on the Demolition of Houses in Belvedere Amid Social Media Outcry

Government Launches Investigation Into Belvedere Demolitions

Following public outcry over the destruction of houses, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi told Parliament that the government had instituted an investigation over the matter:

“It is the Municipality of Harare that demolished without a court order. Everything that the Honourable Member has said falls squarely onto the hands of the city authorities. They are the ones that have been allowing the buildings to be built; they are the ones that have demolished. You can go and check. They demolished without even a court order, and we have also requested that this be investigated.”

“Why wait until a house has been built, and then you send bulldozers to destroy it? Some of the houses were beautiful structures and it is not even fair to those people. So, I believe it is a point of national interest, but it is a point that our local authorities, largely controlled by the opposition, must also have a human face and be able to articulate some of these issues from a human rights perspective.”

Council Explains Why It Razed Down The Houses

Government Investigation Belvedere Demolitions — *Government Launches Investigation Into Belvedere Demolitions [Image: City of Harare]*

The Harare City Council explained on its Facebook page that the area was set aside for development, and a land baron invaded it before selling the stands:

“This land is legally owned by the City of Harare and is designated for residential purposes. This piece of Council land has fifty-two (52) unserviced residential stands. Before Council could allocate the stands, the land was invaded by individuals led by a company going by the name Brickstone Builders and Contractors Private Limited.

“At that material time, they erected wooden cabins on 15 stands. Council responded to the illegal developments by instituting demolitions during that month. Brickstone Building and Contractors Private Limited took Council to court, indicating that the company had been allocated the land by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.

“They attached the letter from the Ministry signed by a Mr Madzivire. On inquiry from the Ministry, Council was advised by the Ministry that the letter was fake, and Mr. Madzivire distanced himself from authoring that letter.”

The Harare City Council added that it issued a 48-hour notice to halt unauthorised developments on the land. In response, Brickstone Building and Contractors Private Limited obtained a court interdict using fraudulent documents, which allowed the status quo to remain but prohibited further construction by the illegal occupiers.

However, the occupiers ignored the order and continued building structures without approved plans or required inspections. In line with the interdict, the city intervened, demolishing 30 illegal structures that had been erected after the court order while leaving those covered by the interdict untouched.

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