By Correspondent
Harare City Council officials are sabotaging the process to expedite acquisition of Council houses by sitting tenants.
The allegations emerged during a Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) meeting in Dzivaresekwa.
History Of Program
In 2018 Council made a Full Council resolution to allow sitting tenants to buy Council owned houses.
However, out of the 1248 council-rented houses in Dzivarasekwa only 27 houses have been sold to sitting tenants.
Another resolution was made last year to sell the Dzivaresekwa houses.
However, a paltry 100 houses have been sold since.
This has created tension and accusations of sabotage by the City’s Valuations Department.
“Why is the process taking too long”, one resident asked at the meeting.
“The delaying tactics are part of the system as the local authority doesn’t want to release the houses to the people.”
System of Sabotage
The other requirement for eligibility to purchase the houses is that a tenant must have cleared their debts with Council.
However, due to the shambolic billing system at the Council few have made any progress despite paying.
“We have tried to service our debts, unfortunately, payments we have made have not been deducted.
“Hence we continue to be in debt, it’s not fair,” said another resident.
However, Council officials present denied accusations of sabotage.
“The Valuations Department are working on the prices,” said the District Officer.
Ward 40 Councillor Dhliwayo assured residents that they were going to engage the Valuations Department on the issue.
“As Councillors, we are going to push the Valuations Department to urgently value the properties, while the treasury addresses the issues of the billing system.”
CHRA added that the practice to sabotage such programs has been rife.
“There has been low uptake from high-density areas as compared to medium-density suburbs.
“The process has been entangled by bottlenecks which have blocked this progressive resolution which promotes the right to shelter, security of tenure and property rights.
CHRA has since implored Council to remove barriers standing in the way of residents in the purchase of council rented houses.