By Rex Mphisa
SOME Beitbridge residents allocated stands under the Alpha International Land Developers project near the town water supplier dams have been served with orders to demolish their structures allegedly for being on unauthorised land.
The Demolition Orders signed by the Director Of Engineering Douglas Siphuma gave these developers until April 2 this year to have restored land to its original state.
Town Clerk Loud Ramakgapola has however said there is no need for those served with the letters to panic because remedial solutions are underway to amicably address the matter.
It is understood the problem arises from some of the developed areas sitting in the catchment area of Beitbridge’s supplier dams.
This, it is understood, could present future problems if there were any sewer bursts whose flow would be into the dams.
In one of the orders widely circulated by panicking residents Siphuma cited Section 32 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 29:12 for the demolition order.
He wrote: ” WHEREAS the said Local Authority being Municipality of Beitbridge hereby serve upon you …….in your capacity as the developer of an illegal structure on stand number …… Dulivhadzimu Township, an order to demolish an illegal structure on the said stand (…….). The said Loc Planning authority considers it necessary to order you to demolish the illegal structure on and number 12527 Khwalu 2 Dulivhadzimu Township.”
“THEREFORE TAKE NOTE that in terms of the Section 32, you …… and restore the land concerned to its condition before the development took place on or before the 02nd of April 2026, failure to which Municipality shall be left with no any other option than to send its enforcing agents to carry out the demolishing and charge a penalty of having carried out such work,” reads the order signed by Siphuma.
He said the demolition order shall continue in force (sic) until withdrawn by the Local Planning Authority.
Ramakgapola said a meeting between the Alpha International Land Developers, the Department of Water and Municipality of Beitbridge was held to arrive at an amicable way.
“The developer has agreed to bring an engineer to look at how to mitigate against and allay the fears of the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA). There are proposals the developer has put forward and we have to look at those,” he said.
“We have also said those who were allocated stands but had not developed should wait and they will be allocated stands elsewhere,” said Ramakgapola.
Although these orders are being given, Beitbridge’s residential expansion westwards has always been questioned by concerned people who saw little development eastwards downstream of supplier dams.
The masterplan of Beitbridge, as recommended by planners the local authority, continues to drift along Bulawayo road stangely putting industries on the windward eastern side.