By Gift Kurupati
Chitownews citizen reporter.
ZANU PF youths and main wing members fought for control over an open space in Zengeza 3 recently in a development that has sent alarm bells of political violence ringing. The group of ZANU PF youths mobilised and gathered at the contested open space which is behind Kuwadzana crescent adjoining Dahwa crescent with intention of parcelling that land among themselves.
The rowdy youths where confronted by a rival group of main wing members and fist started flying when Mr Tedious Gwara the leader of the rival group ordered them to vacate the area which he also claims ownership. According to the council offer letter gleaned by the Chitownews reporter, Mr Gwara and Mr Nyanyiwa applied to council on behalf of Zengeza3 residents the offer letter is written Zimbabwe Republic Police.
Mr Gwara said, “I’m paying monthly charges of this land since 2006 we were given this land by Godfrey Tanyanyiwa’s administration and we donated it to ZRP to build a police post,but we are now in proces of changing the use of this land to residential stands,we only realised Chitungwiza Municipality issued a notice of reposed of our land in media without notifying us ”
The youths were adamant claiming that the “the old men are not the owners of the land in question because on the offer letter we have seen the name Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) so are they ZRP these men?,” one youth queried.
There are divisions amongst the youth as they contradicted each other over the intended use of the piece of land as some said they wanted to use the open space as a car park while others wanted to create residential stands for resale.
Order was finally restored after the intervention of Mr Wilson Nzuma who is a well respected elder in Zengeza 3 and he managed to placate both groups counter claims to the prized piece of land.
Reports of fights over open spaces are escalating in chitungwiza as economically hard pressed youths resort to gangsterism to gain control of open spaces for rent seeking and selling purposes under the guise of political activism.
Efforts to get comment from authorities at Chitungwiza Municipality were fruitless.