By Maxwell Mapungwana
Land barons have tightened their grip on informal settlements in Goromonzi, creating no-go areas where the local authority cannot enforce planning regulations or collect revenue.
Goromonzi Rural District Council chief executive officer Trust Madhovi said council officials attempting to engage residents in the settlements are being met with violence and intimidation.
“So where land barons are in control, they have declared these areas no-go areas for the council.
He said the development has curtailed the council’s ability to monitor construction and account for residents who use public infrastructure without contributing to its maintenance.
“It is unfortunate that people staying in informal settlements that have sprouted in the district are not paying anything to the council.
“The problem is that they are straining the infrastructure without paying anything,” he said.
The rapid spread of unregulated settlements is putting pressure on schools, clinics and other social amenities originally designed for rural communities.
“Their children need to go to school.
“Council is now faced with challenges of inadequate schools and clinics since the available infrastructure was meant for the rural communities,” Madhovi said.
He said the absence of proper registration records has made it difficult to identify households and collect occupiers’ levies, constraining service delivery.
To address the crisis, council plans to launch a comprehensive registration exercise to establish an accurate database of residents in the settlements.
The exercise is expected to provide demographic information to guide future planning.
It will improve revenue collection and channel resources towards expanding primary schools and healthcare facilities.
However, Madhovi said enforcing compliance in areas controlled by land barons remains a major challenge.
He has since underscored the need to clamp down on illegal land transactions and strengthen oversight of settlement development.
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