St Martins demolitions put the cart before the horse

HARARE Mayor Jacob Mafume has urged St Martins residents with approved building plans to produce the documents when council enforcement teams conduct inspections. On the surface, this seems reasonable.

But it comes after the City of Harare demolished houses in St Martins on Friday, declaring them illegal — despite claims from some residents that they had been paying council rates and that their paperwork was in order.

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