Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. Twenty-seven (27) families in Budiriro, Harare, whose homes were flooded after heavy rains caused the Marimba River to overflow are set to be accommodated at the newly constructed flats in Dzivarasekwa Extension.
Fifty-nine households in Harare’s Budiriro 5B Extension and the paddocks area of Kuwadzana were recently forced out of their homes by flash flooding along the Marimba River.
Some of the affected families have been evacuated to Budiriro 3 Primary School where they are being temporarily housed.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe, Local Government and Public Works Minister Winston Chitando and Minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution for Harare Metropolitan Province Charles Tavengwa, on Sunday, 31 December visited the areas affected by floods in Budiriro and then went on to inspect Dzivarasekwa flats.
Speaking during the tour, Chitando said that the 27 families will occupy Dzivarasekwa flats that were identified two years ago when flash floods swept through the suburb. NewsDay quoted Chitando as saying:
Two years back the minister of Housing went to Budiriro and confirmed the illegality of the houses which are on a wetland next to a river and arranged that the people be moved to these flats unfortunately before they could be moved, tragedy struck but the units are ready and families will be moved.
From a public works perspective, we are handing over the units to the Ministry of Housing which will handle the process accordingly.
Garwe said the flats will be handed over to the 27 families once they are spruced up by the Department of Public Works in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works. He said:
We have 100 metres of sewer lines that need to be connected and external works need to be spruced up as well.
Once that is done, then we wait for the commissioning of the four blocks as well as the handing over to the 27 families.
We have 48 units here and these units are not designed for flood victims only, it is just a coincidence that flood victims need attention.
We are providing accommodation to Zimbabweans throughout the country and this is not the only place where flats are being constructed.
We have got flats in the Midlands in Gweru, Marondera, Mutawatawa and even in rural communities we are now building flats.
Tavengwa said houses illegally built on wetlands would be demolished. He said:
People are being affected because we do not have a master plan. We have to abide by the law and what has to be demolished will be demolished. We have to have a planned society.
One of the flood victims, Susan Mlambo Chaputika, said she moved to Budiriro in 2015, and the following year, they realised that the area was flood-prone. She said:
During the 2016 rainy season, we noticed that the area was prone to flooding. We reported the matter to the council and they said they would attend to it but to date, they have not done anything.
The issue of floods kept recurring every season and between 2019 and 2021 that is when we alerted government officials and the matter became public.
Government responded by setting up evacuation centres. They said some flats were being built in Dzivarasekwa, we went there and we saw that there was progress and today they are telling us that we will be moved in January.
An Environmental Management Agency (EMA) official Liberty Mugadza recently told ZBC News that the City of Harare ignored an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) in allocating residential stands to Budiriro homeowners whose houses have been inundated by floodwaters.
He said they gave the local authority a map of the area indicating where houses should not be built.
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