…. Complain over proliferation of guest houses in residential areas
TellZim reporter
Masvingo City councillors said they were worried over slow progress on servicing of Rujeko D residential area stands as well as the proliferation of guest houses in other residential areas.
Speaking during the last full council meeting, Masvingo mayor Collen Maboke said the project seems to be long overdue since its inception and at this point in time council should be already selling the stands to beneficiaries.
“Coming to Rujeko D, what is the situation like right now? We as councillors feel there should have been meaningful progress and council by this time could have or be selling stands to beneficiaries as a way of clearing the backlog on housing list.
“Was the lay out for the residential area approved? There have been continued assurances that the area has been approved and that keeps on being repeated,” quizzed Maboke.
However responding to the question, ward 10 councillor Sengerayi Manyanga who chairs the Public Works and Planning committee said the surveyor general’s office was done on its part of the job but said he was not sure of the number of stands at the site earmarked for the project.
“The surveyor general completed their job, what I am not sure about is the number of stands that are going to be allocated in the area. We once saw the master plan but did not read on the number of stands available but maybe the Town Clerk would help us to that.
“If possible, policy makers present here allow us (TC, Mayor, his deputy and the public works committee) to go to Harare to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works because he is the one responsible for signing the papers,” said Manyanga.
Speaking in the same meeting, Deputy Mayor Wellington Mahwende said Council should take effective measures to deal with the challenges likely to arise as a result of the proliferation of guest houses in most residential areas.
Mahwende said the guest houses were posing a challenge to the peace of residents who would have acquired properties in residential areas before the establishment of the guest houses.
“In my ward (6), we have two guest houses and I feel they disturb the peace of residents because at times they are used for other purposes which interferes with the peace of property owners. As council, we need to consider that when these property owners bought them, they did so not knowing that their peace would be disturbed.
“Council should rather avail land that would specifically be meant for such facilities so that residents can realize the value for the properties. Some guest houses are hosting parties which promote noise and thus interfering with the peace of other residents,” said Mahwende.
Notices of change of use from residential to lodges/guest houses have become a regular feature in full council meeting a move some have pointed to as a way of evading the higher charges and other processes of buying commercial stands and thus people prefer residential stands which they will convert later.
