Shurugwi Town Council sought land from Tongogara RDC

Mining activity is eating through Shurugwi's residential land faster than the town council can keep up, and the housing crunch is getting critical.

Shurugwi's land shortage explained

• Shurugwi Town Council is nearly out of developable land, and mining operations are a big part of why.
• Town Secretary Archbold Ncube broke this down during a visit by Minister of State Owen Ncube earlier in the week.
• The council is already reaching out to the Tongogara Rural District Council to source residential plots from neighboring land.
• Four developers are actively servicing 1,843 stands, but miners operating inside planned residential zones are slowing everything down.

The illegal mining problem on serviced stands

• Illegal miners have been encroaching on stands that the council acquired and serviced a long time ago.
• These miners are reportedly flashing recent mining certificates to justify their presence on the land.
• Archbold Ncube called on the Minister of State's office to step in and deal with the situation.

What the Master Plan is supposed to fix

• The council is banking on its Master Plan to open up large tracts of land for future residential development.
• Once that plan kicks in, the current stand allocation shortage is expected to ease up significantly.

Minister Ncube's directives to the council

• Owen Ncube said his office has been fielding a steady stream of complaints from residents about delayed stand allocations.
• He pushed the council to prioritize people with disabilities and civil servants when handing out residential stands.
• The minister also called on the council to crack down hard and loop in the Ministry of Mines and Mining Development.
• Ncube gave the local authority credit for solid infrastructure work, pointing to its sewer system, water facilities, and roads.