Mutare City council has finally taken a position to comply with the Environmental Management Agency (EMA)’s order issued four years ago which prohibits the use of farm bricks for both commercial and residential construction.
By Donald Nyarota
Councillors took the decision at a full council meeting held recently at the advice of Town Clerk Joshua Maligwa, who said EMA was ready to ticket and drag the local authority to court for failing to comply with the order.
Maligwa said in line with the city master plan which aims to build a smart city as well as protecting the environment, the council will ban the use of farm bricks in both commercial and residential stands.
“We are obliged as council to comply with the EMA order issued in June 2016 which then set a deadline of December 2016 for the council to stop using farm bricks for institutional, commercial and residential construction in the city of Mutare.
“EMA has made this decision because the use of farm bricks promotes destructive practices to the environment particularly rampant deforestation as large quantities of firewood are used in the manufacturing of farm bricks.
“As a progressive council we also have the master plan which envisages to transform Mutare into a smart city and how then do we reconcile the use of farm bricks and construction of story buildings,” said Maligwa.
Malinga and the city of Mutare management could not mince their words to the Councillors as they made it clear that they would not perpetuate lawlessness just to cushion residents from prevailing economic conditions.
However, some councillors expressed reservations over the decision opting to selectively apply the ban on commercial and institutional stands, while sparring ordinary residents whom they said are facing economic hardships.
Maligwa said council should use this opportunity to promote investment in brick manufacturing at a 35 hectare plot set aside for brick molding and is currently lying idle.
“The law is clear and we cannot selectively apply it, the EMA Act is very clear as well. As a city we can not be seen to perpetuate an illegality by selectively applying the law.
“There are implications as well. If we only apply this order to commercial and institutional stands we risk litigation and as the chief executive of council I could be dragged to court.
“We should actually be taking this up as an opportunity to attract investment into the city. We have a 35 hectare site that we have set aside for brick molding and we should use this opportunity to create such linkages,” said Maligwa.
