Harare to demolish 5 000 houses but . . .

Nokuthula Dube

THE Harare City Council plans to demolish over 5 000 houses built in illegal settlements across the city in the coming weeks, enforcing about 37 High Court orders authorising the move.

The targeted houses, located mostly in high-density suburbs such as Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Glen View and Mabvuku, were constructed on land reserved for essential public amenities.

However, the Government insists that “there are no demolitions that are going to take place”.

Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume told The Sunday Mail that the council would proceed with the demolitions to uphold the law and restore order, citing years of inordinate delays due to various challenges.

“We have 37 High Court orders obtained by the City Council and private individuals to evict illegal settlers,” said Cllr Mafume.

“These orders have not been enforced due to political interference and excuses that land barons have exploited to continue illegal developments.

“Not only do we have court orders, but we also have the Regional Town Planning Act, which is very clear on activities that have to happen in certain places.”

He said affected areas include land earmarked for schools and clinics, as well as recreational and sporting facilities.

This has created challenges for residents, particularly children who must travel long distances to access basic services.

“The tragedy of it all is that over 5 000 of these houses have been built in areas that were earmarked for schools, clinics, recreation and sporting facilities,” he said.

“In the mornings, you see hundreds of children crossing Chitungwiza Road to reach schools in Highfield, Glen View and Glen Norah. It’s an unsustainable situation,” he said.

Cllr Mafume underscored the importance of enforcing laws to maintain order in the city, likening the failure to enforce regulations to an addictive behaviour.

“A city is an artificial construct which relies on the enforcement of the law and once people develop a habit of not enforcing the law, it becomes an addiction.

“It is an addiction worse than drug addiction.” He highlighted how land barons take advantage of the delays, using modern building technologies to quickly establish illegal structures.

“They can construct a three-bedroom house in a weekend,” he said.

“It starts with a small cabin that is immediately occupied and called a ‘home’.

“By the time we take legal action, they would have built larger structures.”

This tactic, he said, complicates enforcement, as the law often prohibits interfering with occupied homes, leading to lengthy court battles while construction continues.

“The problem is that our law does not define what is a home.

“Our law says that you must not interfere with a structure once that place becomes a home.”

Cllr Mafume called on the Government to revise laws governing land distribution and unregulated settlements.

He added that the council would continue engaging with the Government to resolve land use disputes and ensure alignment on urban development policies.

In a separate interview, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the Government will not allow demolitions to proceed.

“We gave them a blanket ban on demolitions, and there are no demolitions that are going to take place,” said Minister Garwe.

The Harare City Council recently demolished over 30 houses in Belvedere, saying the structures were illegally constructed on council-owned land.

The council argued that the demolitions were part of a broader operation to enforce urban planning regulations and curb unauthorised developments.

According to city officials, the land had been unlawfully allocated by a private company using fraudulent documents.

Despite warnings and a court order against further construction, some residents continued to build, prompting the demolitions.

The incident has sparked controversy, with residents accusing the council of failing to act earlier and worsening the housing crisis.

The Government distanced itself from the operation and has ordered an investigation into the matter.

Chaos

The Commission of Inquiry into the Governance of Harare City Council since 2017 was recently told that opposition CCC councillors, led by Audit Committee chairperson Councillor Blessing Duma, have effectively taken over the allocation of stands from the housing department after they hijacked a noble regularisation project to collude with land barons.

This has resulted in the deterioration of land governance in the capital to a point where access to residential stands is now free for all under the guise of driving the regularisation process.

The city’s housing department reportedly no longer had a say in how and where land is allocated.

The damning exposé of how councillors have taken over the allocation of land in the city was made by principal housing officer Mr Edgar Dzehonye in his evidence presented before the Justice Maphios Cheda-led Commission of Inquiry.

Mr Dzehonye cited several cases in which barons were allocated pieces of land by the councillors.

He gave examples of the Svikiro Pay Scheme, under its chairperson Godspower Siziba, which was allocated 183 stands in Tafara, Warren Park and Greendale; the Tafara Pay Scheme, Maize View and Harare Housing Pay, all under Everson Luni, which were given a total of 183 stands in Tafara; as well as the New Dawn Pay Scheme, under Voyage Dhambuza, which got 70 stands in Warren Park and Park View.

The chaos created by councillors has given room for illegal activities to thrive.