HWANGE Local Board (HLB) says it has intensified monitoring the town’s infrastructure development as part of efforts to ensure that properties being constructed meet the local authority’s set standards.
This comes as the town revealed that it was also in the process of collecting vital statistics to curb revenue leakages after it emerged that a large number of properties were not on the council’s billing system.
“We are seized with the issue of development control. There’s supervision and monitoring of development as in construction works, to make sure we meet the required standards.
“So, that the properties that are constructed are of the right quality and as such it makes them resilient to all forms of weather,” HLB town secretary Ndumiso Mdlalose said.
Mdlalose also said that it was vital for the local authority to have adequate information on the size of land it owns, adding this will help in planning, development control and levying property users.
“We started collecting vital statistics in November last year and we have covered significant ground.
“We should be having information about every piece of land in our area. This entails who owns it and how much they owe us because that’s where our main funds come from for us to deliver service to the people,” he said.
He further said that the local authority should be able to track everyone who owns a stand or property as this enhances its billing system.
“Without information that a certain piece of land was given to a particular person at such a time and whether it’s due for repossession or the person owes so much and we need to squeeze out that debt we will not be able to deliver.
“We accept that we have a number of gaps and we are trying to close those gaps,” he said.
Council has a responsibility of ensuring development control within its area of jurisdiction as enshrined in the Urban Councils Act.
Local authorities also have the right to demolish any building wilfully erected without its authority.