Staff Reporter

The Hatcliffe Extension community residents are crying foul as stands which were allocated to the community on the original Hatcliffe extension plan were recently changed their land use for private use.

Residents say these are areas that belonged to the community and should remain unchanged.

In an interview this week the residents who shared their concerns they said their Hatcliffe Extension community was established with many public facilities for the whole community to enjoy but now the land is being subdivided and being turned into individual shops.

“Our community was established in 2003 with a shopping centre that had such public facilities as public toilet stand number 15222 market place and Commuter terminus stand number 15223, parking stand numbers 15224, 15237, 15238 meant to serve the community as a whole.

Unfortunately, the above mentioned stands where reallocate to an unknown and unnamed association headed by one referred to as Lawrence Mkandla, who in turn charged the use and subdivided the stands into individual shop stands,” said a resident.

Another resident added that, “We have since been referred back to the urban state land department, which in turn surprisingly in a letter refer us back to the culprit Lawrence Mkandla, yet from them we were expecting the reversal of the development in question, for the benefit of the community as whole,” added a resident.

The former Harare North MP Tongesai Mudambo, the constituency which also covers ward 42 Hatcliffe said that he was approached by residents who are complaining that they were never consulted and are worried as the new developers have now started construction.

“I saw a plan which was brought to me by angry youths and other women seeking help that their old plan was changed, they no longer have a market, a bus terminus and a public toilet. A normal planner can’t approve such a plan unless it’s under the influence of someone. Residents say they didn’t see any advert for the change of use, and they were not consulted that’s why they feel that something is wrong,” he said.

“This project’s beneficiaries have since started the construction of their properties, the development which unfortunately denies the Ordinary people of the community their rights to access to such facilities as public toilet, public transport, and parking spaces, when conducting business at the shopping centre as concerned residents, we have taken it up to ourselves to challenge and oppose these latest so called new development,” said Mudambo.

The Hatcliffe Extension community is appealing to the authorities to cancel the new plan and go back to the old plan which accommodate vendors, they argue that there is no shopping centre that has no council approved market, car park and a bus terminus. Residents say the new plan will only benefit a few people, over many.

When contacted for a comment, the alleged point person Mr Lawrence Mkandla identified himself however declined to give a comment on the matter.