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Masvingo- Residents in Victoria Ranch have welcomed the move by Government to establish a board to oversee service delivery provision and transparent allocations of housing stands for the problematic sprawling suburb which has been haunted by some unscrupulous land barons duping desperate home seekers over the past 2 decades.
The announcement was made recently in the state media by Masvingo Permanent Secretary in the State and Devolution Minister, Dr Admmore Pazvakavambwa.
In welcoming the move to bring sanity to the sprawling area dogged by controversies, corrupt land deals and unremitting land disputes, Residents urged government to establish a neutral board that will hold to account the land barons, demand transparency and restore lucidity to improve service delivery and decent living for habitants of the suburbs.
Some of the unscrupulous land barons are notorious for selling subserviced stands without proper water and sewer reticulation, suitable roads and haphazardly arranged housing stands that gives the fastest growing residential area in Masvingo the appearance of a shanty town.
Some of the residents in the area like Brighton Ramusi, who together with other human rights activists petitioned Parliament of Zimbabwe to lodge an investigation on land barons activities in the areas, said this is a pivotal move towards community empowerment.
“The board should be non-partisan and deliberately exclude corrupt land barons, who have previously exploited development opportunities in the region. To ensure effective governance, the board should include a diverse representation of Civic Society Organizations, local council members, Rural District Council officials, business owners, and residents, fostering a collaborative environment that prioritizes community needs,” said Ramusi
Masvingo United Residents and Rate Payers Alliance (MURRA), a residents rights group concurred saying the proposed Victoria Range board is a welcome and necessary development.
MURRA, Chairperson Thomas Mbetu, said residents have endured severe service shortages and chaos created by land barons, citing illegal and unplanned settlements that have left communities without basic amenities like water, roads, and sewage systems.
“Therefore, for this board to be effective and restore sanity, its composition must be absolutely neutral. The land barons themselves, who are the root cause of this crisis, must be excluded entirely. Their inclusion would compromise the board’s integrity from the onset.
Instead, the board should comprise qualified and impartial professionals. This includes representatives from resident associations, lawyers, development practitioners, urban planners, and engineers. This ensures the board is not just a symbolic gesture but a technical body with the capacity to deliver planned, sustainable settlements,” Mbetu said
MURRA asserted that the land barons who have caused so much suffering to residents must be prosecuted.
“This will serve as a strong deterrent and demonstrate the government’s commitment to ending this impunity,” added Mbetu.
DR Pazvakavambwa said the plans are still in infancy stages and modalities are being worked on to determine the composition of the board as they are waiting for a full council resolution from Masvingo RDC.
“We are still working on the plans we cannot say much at the moment, as for the composition of the board we will cross the river when we get there but as government we have professional laid out cooperate governance principles that we check in appointing board members including back ground checks, professions and criminal records for individuals,” he said
This initiative comes in light of the remarkable housing boom that has seen the construction of over 16,000 new homes in the area.
Some of the housing cooperatives constructing houses in the suburbs include, ZEXCOM, VASHANDI, December 12 and Masvingo Cooperative projective 2 to mention a few.
Vashandi Housing cooperative is currently involved in a legal battle over allegations of defrauding over 100 hectares of land worth over US$ 1 million belonging to another developer Shine plus Housing Development Trust.
Directors, Goddard Dunira and Former Zanu PF Chivi Central, Member of Parliament Ephraim Gwanongodza were remanded out of custody after paying $500 bail each and will return to court on 28 November for routine remand.
