The city of Harare plans to tear down many houses on Thursday. They want to remove homes that were built without permission, mostly on land meant for public use.
The city started giving out quick move-out notices last week. People only get two days to leave. They gave these notices to 17 homeowners in Mabelreign first. Next, they plan to go to areas like Budiriro, Kuwadzana, Glen View, and Mabvuku.
The city wants to tear down more than 5,000 homes that were built where they shouldn't be. They say they can do this because of 37 court orders.
James Mazvimba, who helps run the city, says they need to fix the problem of people taking land illegally. He says they'll start in Mabelreign and then move to other areas. He points out that some people have taken over land that was meant for people on housing lists and for public spaces.
When people get the notice, they need to move out and clean up their land within two days. If they don't move, the city will tear down their homes. Mazvimba says most of these homes are just small shacks behind walls.
He tells people not to buy homes without the right papers from the city. If they do, they might lose their money. He also says they always tell people before they tear anything down.
But now the government has stepped in. They say no one can tear down houses anymore, and doing so would be against the law.
The city started giving out quick move-out notices last week. People only get two days to leave. They gave these notices to 17 homeowners in Mabelreign first. Next, they plan to go to areas like Budiriro, Kuwadzana, Glen View, and Mabvuku.
The city wants to tear down more than 5,000 homes that were built where they shouldn't be. They say they can do this because of 37 court orders.
James Mazvimba, who helps run the city, says they need to fix the problem of people taking land illegally. He says they'll start in Mabelreign and then move to other areas. He points out that some people have taken over land that was meant for people on housing lists and for public spaces.
When people get the notice, they need to move out and clean up their land within two days. If they don't move, the city will tear down their homes. Mazvimba says most of these homes are just small shacks behind walls.
He tells people not to buy homes without the right papers from the city. If they do, they might lose their money. He also says they always tell people before they tear anything down.
But now the government has stepped in. They say no one can tear down houses anymore, and doing so would be against the law.
