Rights commission concerned about unplanned Stands, Houses

The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission is concerned by the continued unplanned allocation of residential stands.

The human rights body says houses and other structures that have been built on unsuitable land (wetlands) leading to the current flooding of houses in some parts of the city has resulted in the violation of the right to property.

According the Chairperson Elasto Mugwandi the commission is ready to take up complaints arising from abuse of power or maladministration by the state and public institutions and officers of those institutions.

Flash flooding in some parts of Harare and Chitungwiza town has damaged household goods and displaced families as their houses got inundated. To date, more than 30 Families have been moved from their homes since the onset of the rain season.

The mushrooming of housing cooperatives has been cited as the main cause of unplanned houses in both Harare and Chitungwiza.

Cooperatives were registered by the government to allocate land, and it was hoped that the cooperatives would reduce the housing backlog.

Soon after being allocated land, most of cooperatives have proceeded to encourage their members to build and settle without serviced the land.

The ZHRC carried investigations on the flooding that also affected the suburb of Mbare and compiled a report.

The report which was presented at a Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) condemned the local authority for failing to follow proper environmental procedures and soliciting the views of residents when they constructed a structure that caused considerable flooding in the suburbs.