Last week, the municipality reduced by between 70 to 90 percent its charges for lodgers fees for prospective home owners in the satellite town.
The charges were reduced from $96 to $20 a year for high density residential properties, from $300 to $35 for medium density stands and from $500 to $50 for low density stands.
Tarisai Bvukumbwe, 55 from Unit K in Seke said, “I have never witnessed anyone on that waiting list who has been allocated a residential stand. Why should I be motivated to even subscribe to it when all these people that have benefitted from residential stands have done so through land barons?”
Nobert Mushayahanya from Unit J, “Does council have the land or we are just going to donate our money where the possibility of getting a stand is zero? What guarantee do I have that my money will be channelled towards the real cause? Until they deal with corruption and we have transparency and accountability at Chitungwiza Town Council, I will not subscribe to lodgers’ fees.”
However, others hailed the move and said the reduction would ensure inclusivity of everyone and create avenues for the unemployed to subscribe. Stella Mushongawa from Zengeza 3 said, “The old charges were too much and as a lodger, they were beyond the reach for many of us. The reduction is a positive development.”
The town clerk, George Makunde, referred all questions to Benjamin Gwenzi, the Housing Director who revealed that there are slightly over 5, 000 people on the housing waiting list. “Following proper procedure, the allocation of stands should have been done in a way that ensured that those that are on the housing waiting list benefit first,” said Gwenzi. “The current scenario is not reflective of the demand for accommodation and this is why we reduced the charges.”
“What we want to tell residents is that this is not a fundraising gimmick. We want to do things transparently and ensure that normal procedure is followed in the allocation of stands,” he said. The reduction in lodgers fees were for those intending to own residential houses only and were not inclusive of commercial, churches, industrial and institutions’ stands.
Tinashe Kazuru, Chitungwiza Residents Trust Board Secretary hailed the development saying it cushioned citizens who earned salaries that were below the poverty datum line. “This is a chance for everyone to own a house, but that can only happen if there is transparency and accountability at the council,” said Kazuru, emphasising that the new charges promoted equality.
Post published in: News