Tanzanian president John Magufuli on Monday suspended the planned demolition of over 2,000 houses belonging to people who allegedly invaded plots set aside for airport, police and military use in lake zone region of Mwanza.
Magufuli issued the stop order when inaugurating the Furahisha pedestrian walkway in Mwanza city at the start of a two-day official tour of the region.
He halted the scheduled demolition exercises in Kayenze, Mhoze and Kigoto areas until he gives further instructions.
Magufuli said house demolitions should be done “with a human face” and without causing unnecessary hardships for the owners and their families.
He was responding to residents appealing for him to cancel the demolition exercise in the area surrounding Mwanza International Airport.
Such demolitions should be jointly reviewed by the Ministries of Home Affairs, Lands, Housing and Human Settlement Development, Defense and National Service, and Works, Transport and Communications, Magufuli said.
“I want the responsible ministers to sit down, work on the map, and come up with recommendations within 21 days,” he said, urging them to “put a human face to it” before submitting the recommendations to him for a final decision on what should be done.
“It is unfair to demolish houses that people have invested and lived in for over 30 years,” Magufuli said.
But he also pointed out that structures within the airport periphery and premises of Tanzania People’s Defense Forces need to be “bulldozed” to pave the way for the airport’s expansion to international standards so as to accommodate bigger planes to boost tourism. Enditem
Source: Xinhua/NewsGhana.com.gh
