By Byron Mutingwende
Residents of Galloway Residential area of Norton have vowed to rally behind the leadership of the current Member of the House of Assembly for the area Hon Temba Mliswa and aspiring independent councillor Dr Godfrey Mugaviri.
“Before the coming in of Hon Temba Mliswa as MP for Norton, we were paying huge monthly subscriptions to the so-called Dr Killer Zivhu who is the developer of the Galloway Residential Stands.
“What we did not know was that we were actually donating to and enriching Zivhu because we did not have ownership documents for the stands we were religiously paying for. We pay tribute to Hon Mliswa because he then instituted a bruising battle with Zivhu who only started giving out title deeds in March 2018 despite the fact that we had spent many years paying subscriptions in addition to exorbitant deposits for the stands,” said a woman who identified herself as Mai Sigauke in fear of victimisation by the “politically-connected” Killer Zivhu.
Speaking to residents of Galloway at a local government issues discussion meeting organised by Dr Mugaviri in Norton on Sunday 8 July 2018, Hon Mliswa reiterated the fact that having title deeds enables one to have surety when applying for loans from banks and makes it possible for one to sell property to offset certain obligations.
“It was not a stroll in the park to convince Zivhu and Mupame to give out title deeds to the residents of Norton from whom they were getting money. I forced these two to comply with the subdivision permits, which among other obligations says the landowners, and developers should be able to give permits to home-seekers.
“It’s regrettable if what you are telling me is true that Zivhu is demanding payment of additional value-added tax (VAT) because it does not apply in retrospect. That is tantamount to ripping off homeseekers,” Hon Mliswa said.
Dr Mugaviri paid tribute to Galloway Trust that is working above board and in a transparent manner in representing the people of Norton . The aspiring councillor promised to continue working hard to ensure that the residents of Ward 2 under which Galloway falls continued to get efficient service delivery.
“I am working closely with Hon Mliswa who in his own right is a champion of development. Hon Mliswa has promised to donate a grader to uplift the state of the roads in Galloway, which are potholed and dusty. My ultimate aim is to ensure that the roads are tired, that there is reliable water supply and an effective sewerage system as well as electricity in the area. That is certain because I have great expertise in those areas,” Dr Mugaviri said amidst dancing, ululation and applause from the residents.