Govt halts issuance of car sales leases in Harare

GOVERNMENT has put to a halt the issuance of leases of car sales following a huge outcry from Harare residents about the mushrooming of car sales in the city.

Last week, the Government ordered an investigation to be launched to establish the legality of the car sales.

Provincial Development Coordinator Mr Tafadzwa Muguti said they have established that there was a problem within the local authority which has resulted in a moratorium being issued.

“We have a great outcry from the residents of the city of Harare where you would find in broad daylight people are cutting down trees, taking over playgrounds, taking over road servitudes where residents are not even consulted,” he said.

“We have gone deeper and we have seen that there is a problem within the local authority and through hi the mayor and the municipal police, that is why the moratorium has been issued.

“There will be no leases being given anymore to car sales as investigations go underway.

“There is also a challenge in the City of Harare of the valuation role where we basically feel that a lot of people are paying close to nothing for the land that they occupied even that which is legal. We also have a problem that we need to verify if all the land where car sales, car parks and car washes are operating was given the change of use with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.”

Mr Muguti said no land should be leased out or sold or committed to any other use that it was planned for under the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act.

He said they were facing a challenge whereby other Government departments are working outside the provincial Government working structures resulting in a lot of people obtaining leases from the National Railways of Zimbabwe where basically they are within road servitudes.

“Those people are also going to be stopped.

“There is no lease that should be coming out even from any other Government part without the local authority involved.

“We also have a challenge where basically we have seen that some of the car sales now putting their fences at times even a metre from the road and yet the road servitudes are protected under the Roads Act so as it is currently, we also know that a lot of car sales within Harare are being used as open kitchens, people are cooking sadza illegally, providing catering services then others are even running pubs in those places and gambling services, and some of them have converted into brothels.

“We also have a lot of dirty money which is being exchanged, hence foreign currency dealings.

“We also face this challenge with people who are basically using car sales as a front for cleaning dirty money obtained from gold trading and money laundering.”

Mr Muguti said a lease does not entitle a person to put structures and they will be demolishing any permanent structures that have been erected on leased spaces.

“Leased spaces are not supposed to have buildings, it is a temporary structure and in that case those officials that have been behind this menace will be brought to book,” he said.-herald.c.zw