The ruling Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front and the opposition Movement for Democratic Change-Tsvangirai, which controls most of the major urban areas, are headed for a clash over the allocation of land to landless urban people as the country approaches the 2018 national elections.
MDC-T shadow Minister for Local Government Eddie Cross says ZANU-PF is using land to lure urban voters and has so far settled some 300 000 families to dilute the MDC-T support in the urban areas.
“The objective of this programme has been to create areas of urban settlement that are totally vulnerable to political pressure and intimidation. In 2005 and 2013, these illegal settlements were used to influence the outcome of the elections by forcing settlers to vote for a particular candidate or face eviction or destruction of their structures,” he said.
After the MDC-T lost 2013 elections dismally, Cross argued that ZANU-PF won six seats in Harare because it had dished out land to the landless in the run-up to the elections.
He argues that the ruling party is doing the same thing now by dishing out land for free in preparation for the 2018 elections.
“The MDC wants to make its position quite clear. The actions of the Ministry and the Minister are not only illegal; they are ill conceived and criminal,” he said.
“The victims of this cruel scam who take up the offer will not only be occupying land that does not belong to the State but may also be outside the planned housing schemes in urban areas. Therefore services of water and sanitation as well as roads and electrical power, will be difficult or even impossible to provide.
“MDC-led councils will not cooperate with this exercise; any attempt to use Council land for such hair brained schemes will be challenged in Court.”
He spelt out the steps that the MDC-T was taking to “provide all who want to live on a permanent basis in the urban areas, a plot of land within their means with security of tenure and all necessary services”.
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