THE Victoria Falls municipality has granted residents who were allocated in the resort housing stands a six-month grace period to clear all outstanding payments or risk having them repossessed.
Victoria Falls mayor Prince Thuso Moyo said this as he moved to quell rumours of repossession of stands, revealing that an overwhelming majority of the 500 people allocated land by the council have fully paid for their plots.
Moyo announced that only 22 stand owners were yet to complete their payments, adding that the council has granted a six-month extension to settle their outstanding dues.
The mayor's remarks served as a direct rebuttal of allegations made in October by the Victoria Falls Consortium and some residents.
Critics had accused the council of clandestinely repossessing stands at the BE 100 area to reallocate them to new beneficiaries for a "facilitation fee."
"Let me be clear: there is no one's stand that has been repossessed,” Moyo said during a residents meeting last Thursday.
“If there is anyone who had their stand taken, they must come forward with the letter that tells them that they no longer have a stand."
He challenged the circulating rumours, often spread through social media groups, which claimed the mayor or town clerk Ronnie Dube were seizing stands.
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"The agenda number one on the stands was that there is no stand that has been repossessed from anyone," he noted.
"The majority of the applicants have paid, and that is a good achievement because the money which is charged, I myself cannot raise in a short space of time.
"The day-to-day running of council and servicing of stands... we need money so that you have roads, water, and lights where you will be residing."
The council's binding resolution now offers a clear path forward for the remaining stand owners.
"Out of 500 people, only 22 beneficiaries have not yet completed payment, and the council has granted them an additional six months to settle their dues," Moyo confirmed.
He reassured the community that the allocation process remains fair and transparent, with the extension demonstrating the council's willingness to work with residents to achieve its goal of universal housing access in the resort town by 2030.
