Source: The Herald – Breaking news
Trust Freddy–Herald Correspondent
The Government has started paying out compensation to owners of industrial, commercial and residential properties that must be demolished to make room for the massive Mbudzi interchange road project.
This was revealed yesterday by the Permanent Secretary in Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure Development, Engineer Theodius Chinyanga.
Speaking on the sidelines of the Mbudzi interchange tour, Eng Chinyanga yesterday said so far 51 of the 52 property owners with title deeds had signed their compensation agreements and 19 had already received their entire compensation.
Treasury has since released US$12 million out of the US$34 million towards compensation.
It was a hive of activity yesterday at Mbudzi as ecstatic families raced to de-construct their houses before the deadline.
While the property owners cannot refuse the forced sale, they are entitled to full compensation, set at the value of their properties.
“We had committed ourselves to make sure that everyone who has been impacted negatively on this project in terms of property holders, was compensated on time,” Engineer Chinyanga said.
“We have 52 title holders around this area who should be compensated and the properties have been evaluated by the local government and two other independent companies so that we give those who are affected fair compensation.”
He also said that the Ministry was still in discussion with one title holder and they were looking forward to reaching a common ground.
To date, of the $34 million that should be paid out as compensation, finance has moved $12 million, which is a total of 19 properties out of the 52. Further, Engineer Chinyanga said land for lease holders has already been located in Hatcliffe and will soon be relocated.
“There are 95 lease holders along Chitungwiza Road that are blocking the way of the construction and these will be relocated to Hatcliffe.
“Local government has found land and are in the process of planning on the land subdivisions, we are going to build three-roomed core houses for the lease houses,” he said.
Carefully, they were taking apart portions of buildings with the aim of capturing useful material such as windows, wood and bricks for incorporation into their new houses.
“Unfortunately the owner of the house is not around but I can confirm that the owner of the house is very excited,” Mr Givemore Chibayambuya who was among the team that was removing the components of the house for reuse.
“The house had 15 rooms and double garage plus a 3-bedroom cottage, it’s a blessing in disguise because he got full compensation and he is set to benefit from the selling of these bricks.
Residential owners that used to reside near the old roundabout had not been included in the first demolitions of Tefoma construction because by law the Government had to ensure that they were fully compensated.
The other 13-bedroomed house that used to be a centre of attraction had been raised down and owners were also removing important building materials.
“We are now staying in Uplands, my daddy is at work,” a family member of one of the affected families said.
“We are racing against time because we had been given today (yesterday) as a deadline for us to remove everything.”
The majority of home affected residents expressed satisfaction with the compensation deal, however, they refused to give further details and referred questions to their spokesperson Bishop Maruva Goka who could not be immediately contacted by the time of publication.
The interchange replacing the old Mbudzi roundabout, with its 14 bridges and bridge- like structures, plus the left-turn slip roads will occupy far more land than the old inadequate roundabout so the nearby private property had to be bought out.
The Mbudzi roundabout is at the intersection of Simon Mazorodze, Chitungwiza and High Glen Roads that feed traffic from western Chitungwiza and many old and new suburbs into Harare city centre, as well as the heavy national and regional traffic on the Harare-Masvingo Highway.
The huge interchange uses a lot more land than the old roundabout and has meant that buildings near the roundabout have to go.
When complete, the world-class interchange being constructed under the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme, is expected to eliminate congestion at the point where two major highways meet the Beitbridge-Harare highway, with the traffic circle that was deemed adequate a few decades ago now totally overwhelmed.
The widening of the Beitbridge-Harare Chirundu highway plus its reconstruction and rehabilitation is a critical component of the north-south corridor and huge delays as this highway met the major southern urban roads in Harare would negate many of the advantages won, as well as jamming traffic crossing the highway.