NRZ families evicted

The families, including several children under 10 years, were bracing the chilly weather – their belongings heaped outside the building.

“We were told to remove our goods from these premises by Don Property Developers because the owner now wants to use the building,” said one of the evicted workers. “We were staying here because we have not been paid our salaries for the past 10 months, and we have been resisting eviction because we have nowhere to go,” said another worker.

The families who sought refuge at the premises in April 2013, said they have tried engaging the NRZ over their plight for alternative accommodation but have got nowhere.

The Human Resources Manager, only identified as Pachavo, told them he was not interested in their story because he had already dealt with them.

“We were told that ours is a closed chapter because he said that we must go and share NRZ’s two- roomed houses between two families. But in those houses there are already other tenants, some of whom include widows, pensioners or people who are simply resisting to move out because they believe that they have a right to free accommodation provided by NRZ,” said another evicted worker.

“Pachavo told us to go and camp on the verandas of the houses until the other families move out. But we know that those people have resisted eviction before. The chances of them budging today are slim to none,” he said.

Pachavo was not answering his mobile phone.

Kimpton Tazviringa from Caterquip, whom the workers believe to be the new owner of the building, referred all questions to his property managers.

“The property manager for that building is Mangwiro from Don Properties. Talk to him because he is in a much better position to comment about that issue,” said Tazviringa.

Efforts to get a comment from Mangwiro hit a brick wall after he referred all questions to one Muchembere from NRZ. Muchembere was not picking up his mobile while the organisation’s spokesperson Fanuel Masikati’s mobile was not available.

NRZ workers have been receiving their salaries in dribs and drabs for some time now and the parastatal owes it workers arrears worth thousands of dollars.

“We are not saying we want to stay at NRZ premises. They must just pay us our money so that we can go and rent accommodation in other suburbs like everyone else,” said one worker.