Suburban
Some illegal car sales that had mushroomed along Lomagundi Road (now called Nemakonde) are facing demolition as the Government is investigating the legality of all the roadside car sales in the capital city.
Ivan Zhakata Suburban Reporter
Addressing journalists on Tuesday, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution in Harare Metropolitan Province Oliver Chidawu said the car sales have become an eyesore in the city.
Minister Chidawu said the disorderliness that is associated with the establishment of car sales must be stopped and all illegal car sales must be removed.
“We have this city being turned, in fact, all roads are being turned into car sales. We have noticed in some areas like Lomagundi Road where there a lot of car sales. We do not know the process that has been followed.
“We are now emphasising that we want orderliness. We want to ensure that we follow planning and if people are following planning we have no problems with them but what we have noticed is within that, some of our members of staff probably have been compromised in doing things which may not be above the law.”
Minister Chidawu also lamented instances where golf courses have been sold and turned into residential stands.
“We want to correct that so it is really not about a witch hunt at all but it is about getting things done properly. We want order in Harare and as you are aware we had instances where golf courses were sold.
“So people are now used to sell everything, any piece of land, people are selling so we now want order in Harare.
“We want all that to stop forthwith and then proper due diligence is taken, proper leases are established in areas which are permitted to conduct such business,” he said.
Acting Harare Mayor Councillor Mutizwa
Acting Harare Mayor Councillor Stewart Mutizwa said there was need to investigate and make sure that all the car sales across the city are on designated places and have proper documentation.
“We want to bring order in our city specifically with issues to do with car sales. We are now portraying as if Harare is a car sale city and that must stop.
“We have put a moratorium to the issuance of car sales so that we ventilate everything in terms of the existing car sales that are there. We are going to do an investigation to make sure that all the existing car sales are according to book. We are going to verify quite a number of issues.
“We are not hesitant to close them down if they are not following the laid down conditions,” he said.
Harare Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti there was a great outcry from the residents over the increase of car sales.
“People are cutting down trees, taking over play grounds and road servitudes without consulting the residents.
“We have gone deeper and have seen that there is problem within the local authority and through the Mayor and the municipal police a moratorium has been issued and there will be no leases being given anymore to car sales as investigations get underway,” said Mr Muguti.
He said some of the car sales were now being used for illegal activities such as gold and foreign currency dealings, cleaning money made from smuggling gold and laundering as well as open air kitchens selling food.
Last year residents from Ashbrittle, Avonlea, Bluff Hill, Greendale and Hillside among other suburbs complained over the increase of car sales on major roads in their areas.
In particular, the mushrooming of roadside car sales along Lomagundi Road up to the traffic circle at Westgate has left parts of Ward 16 without breathing spaces.
Of late the City of Harare has been on a blitz to remove roadside traders of bricks, river sand, pit sand, quarry stones among other building materials from their undesignated places of business.
City authorities argued that the roadside trading of building materials was to blame for the massive poaching of sand taking place Harare leading to severe environmental degradation.
