The ManicaPost
IT is not every day that a chaotic settlement like Mutare’s Gimboki gets a new lease of life, with prospects of becoming a functional suburb with all the requisite amenities.
It is a very rare occurrence for people who would have settled somewhere illegally to eventually find themselves holding title deeds to electrified properties with fully serviced roads, running water and sewer systems.
However, this is about to become a reality for the Gimboki community as Government has pledged to chip in and service their stands so that the residents can have access to portable water, sewer services and good roads.
Waste collection will also become a reality, along with street lights.
Vice President Constatino Chiwenga delivered the good news when he addressed ZANU PF supporters at the party’s star rally in Dangamvura on Sunday.
More than 15 000 families illegally settled in Gimboki, Mahalape and Federation close to two decades ago, with Mutare City Council turning a blind eye to the problem.
With the Gimboki Housing Scheme identified as a priority project under National Development Strategy (NDS) 1 considering that residence is one of the primary human needs, Government has committed to regularising the illegal settlement.
Other chaotic housing schemes which has resulted in the mushrooming of illegal settlements across the province will also be dealt with once sanity has been restored in Gimboki.
The regularisation of Gimboki will leave Mutare City Council in good stead as the cash-strapped local authority has lost millions of dollars over the past decade through providing free services to the illegal settlers.
Once the settlement is legalised, it will become billable.
Given that 30 to 60 percent of the urban population in developing countries live in irregular settlements, it is now widely accepted that regularisation policies are – at least in the short-term – the only realistic solution to improving the housing conditions of those affected.
Regularising informal settlements means providing security of tenure to the people concerned.
This is an essential step for both the dwellers who need access to urban services and their respective local authorities who rely on rates to deliver the required services.
While it is subject to debate, households should not be evicted for the sole reason that they are not the owners of the land they occupy or that they do not comply with planning and building laws and regulations.
Rather, the social implications should also be put into consideration so that the affected communities do not feel neglected by the powers that be.
It is crucial to remember that some of the people in the illegal settlements are actually victims of land barons who have been fleecing them of their hard-earned cash over the past few years.
The people of Gimboki therefore deserve to obtain an improved, healthy and secure living environment without being displaced.
The investments they have already made on their properties need to be protected and enhanced.
However, this physical improvement will only be the beginning of becoming recognised citizens of the city and the province at large.
Health issues also need to be addressed by providing clinics and health education programs in Gimboki and the other illegal settlements dotted across the province.
Schools will also need to be constructed in the settlements to ensure that children do not have to walk long distances to access basic education.
In addition, empowerment programs will also need to be rolled out to ensure that the livelihoods of the communities are guaranteed.
As the nation trudges towards 2030, Government is working round the clock to eradicate poverty in all its forms and reduce inequalities and vulnerabilities that undermine the people’s potential.
No one and no place will be left behind.
