28 May 2015

Francistown mayor, Ms Sylvia Muzila, has implored councillors to assist in sensitising communities about significance of developing plots.

Addressing a full council session on May 25, Mayor Muzila raised a concern that though there was dire need for accommodation in the city, Self Help Housing Agency (SHHA) plots both in the old and new areas remained either undeveloped or abandoned.

She said some of the plots had been undeveloped over a long period of time, adding that some of them have now turned into hiding places for criminals.

The mayor said plots that remained undeveloped for too long would be repossessed and allocated to those on the waiting list, noting that the exercise would commence with immediate effect. She also said the same would apply to undeveloped commercial and industrial plots around the city.

Also, she said all the seven industrial and 10 commercial plots allocated at Gerald Estates have not been developed, adding that out of 94 industrial plots at Somerset West, 42 are developed. ‘’We are going to ascertain that all those that have surpassed by their development period are repossessed,’’ she noted.

Ms Muzila highlighted that the Department of Surveys and Mapping would be undertaking a cadastral survey, which would done in phases in low income areas very soon.

Furthermore, she said most of the SHHA areas have not been surveyed and plot boundaries have not been mapped.

Ms Muzila said so far, the city has a total of over 15 000 plots that were allocated to SHHA beneficiaries over the years, and over 11 000 are fully developed, 1 125 plots are under construction while 1 265 remained undeveloped.

She mentioned that the larger share of undeveloped plots is at Gerald Estates, which has a total of 1 168, adding that most of them might have been allocated in the past two years.

In addition, Ms Muzila said the plots were only demarcated to allow orderly service of infrastructural development and issuance of certificate of rights.

She said the affected areas are Area L, Area S, Area W, Satellite North, Block 1, part of Block 2, Somerset East and West, Monarch (excluding Lot 1, Phase 5 and 6) and Tatitown (excluding White City). Ends