By Mary Taruvinga

THE City of Harare, is seeking the High Court’s blessing to evict over 185 families from a piece of land in Budiriro high density suburb.

Town Clerk, Hosiah Chisango has approached the upper court seeking an order to evict the families with a view to survey and service the said piece of land before handing it over to the affected families.

In an application which is now before the courts, Chisango argues: “This is an application for eviction of the first respondent’s (Events Housing Co-operative Society Limited) members from the applicant’s (City of Harare) land depicted on Plan Number TYP/WR/01/14 Budiriro to enable the applicant to service and survey the land for the first respondent.”

Events Housing Co-operative Society Limited, its chairperson and the Sheriff of the High Court were cited as respondents in the application.

Chisango submitted that despite the co-operative being a registered entity in terms of the laws of the country, it was however occupying a piece of land which it illegally invaded and settled.

“However, despite the illegal invasion, the applicant on March 29, 2017 resolved to regularise the first respondent’s settlement by allocating 185 stands depicted on Plan Number TYP/WR/01/14. The said regularisation was subject to procedural planning processes and other conditions outlined therein.”

Chisango added that in June 2017, the allocation was published in a local newspaper but there was an objection raised against the allocation.

He said objections were not considered because it had been raised by an illegal settler who was a member of a co-operative called Tembwe Housing Co-operative.

The Town Clerk also said the decision to approach the courts was reached at following a series of meetings by the city fathers.

According to Chisango the co-operative members were refusing to vacate the land in order to have it surveyed and serviced for there benefit. The matter is pending.