The Sunday Mail
Edwin Mwase
The City of Harare has said that it will go ahead with the demolition of all illegal structures and housing units around the city.
Last week, council demolished 11 houses belonging to a bogus housing co-operative in Glen Norah. The houses were constructed on undesignated land.
However, some have noted that the exercise might have dire consequences if recent figures pertaining to the proliferation of bogus housing co-operatives released is anything to go by.
It has been noted that there are over 20 illegal housing co-operatives in the city, and each co-operative has an estimated membership of 1 500 to 2 000 people or even more, which translates to an average of between 30 000 to 40 000 housing units facing demolition.
Putting into perspective that an average family consists of five people, the number translates to between 150 000 to 200 000 people who might soon find themselves homeless.
If we consider the African phenomenon of extended families and tenants, we might be talking of close to a million.
The city already has a housing backlog of close to 500 000 people, and, if indeed, the council goes ahead with the plan, then that is another calamitous situation in the offing.
“We are going ahead with the removal of all illegal structures in Harare, and we are targeting the whole of Greater Harare,” said Harare principal communication spokesperson, Mr Michael Chideme.
He then went on to advise members of housing co-operatives who feel shortchanged to approach the relevant authorities for recourse, or alternatively institute legal processes for them to recover their dues.
Probed on whether regularisation of illegal settlements was an option, Mr Chideme said council was “only” seized with the removal of illegal structures and not regularisation.
Slum city settlements such as the Dzivarasekwa and Gunhill slums have been regularised in the past.
While it will be a futile attempt at this moment to try and institute a witch-hunt so as to ascertain who to apportion the blame for the obtaining chaos on the housing situation, it is imperative that measures are taken to mitigate against a disastrous situation or to minimise future damage.
A lecturer in the department of urban planning at the University of Zimbabwe, Mr Nyasha Mutsindikwa, said it was unfortunate that illegal housing developments continue to sprout in some parts of the capital, despite the existence of an active local authority and various pieces of enabling legislation.
He pointed out at the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, Urban Councils Act and a wide range of by-laws as pieces of legislation which should be the book of commandments for all and sundry when it comes to erecting a settlement in the cities.
“With reference to these urban management instruments, the local authority knows how to deal with these so-called illegal housing developments,” he said.
“If there is an illegal development taking place, basically the local authority will assess whether the development can be regularised or not.”
Mr Mutsindikwa said in making its decision, the local authority will be guided by the basic principles of urban planning such as compatibility of the development with other land uses or existing developments as well as future developments as per the city’s master plan.
“Those going to be affected by whatever decision the council takes after the assessment are usually notified in writing so that they can comply with council’s decision and if they are not satisfied they can take their case to the Administrative Court,” he said.
People should therefore familiarise themselves with town planning legislation so that they will not be caught on the wrong side of the law when they enter into land transactions.
Another town planning expert, Mr Percy Toriro, said town planning comprises two distinct but complementary branches – the master or forward planning and the town planning discipline which was the day-to-day management of settlements.
He chose to dwell on the town planning discipline aspect.
“The aspect ensures that everything is being done according to the master or forward planning and this includes ensuring all structures are only constructed with approved plans,” he said.
Mr Toriro said the discipline also ensures that only compatible uses are allowed next to each other.
For example, he cited that constructing a funeral parlour next to a nursing home would be in bad taste and can affect the capacity of patients to heal.
“This is where most local authorities have failed because illegal settlements are not being dealt with promptly.
There is a tendency to react to these developments late, when it has become a crisis that now has socio-economic and even humanitarian dimensions,” he said.
“Local authorities must strictly enforce plan provisions, and do so in such a manner that encourages residents not to break laws.”
He said at the end of the day, it was a combination of pro-active and forward-looking responsive planning as well as a strict development control framework that will rid cities of illegal activities and structures.
Comparison of Harare to other cities in the country
Many are of the opinion that the proliferation of illegal structures is rampant in the capital city as compared to other cities in the country.
Urban planning experts have offered an explanation for this, noting that Harare has become the melting pot of economic and social activity, hence the continued scramble for land.
Mr Mutsindikwa argued that as compared to Bulawayo, which is the second largest city, Harare has more pressure because the second largest city no longer has much economic activity.
“There is a strong link between the level of economic activities and demand for housing and as such Harare has severe housing challenges as compared to Bulawayo,” he said.
“However, each local authority has got its own challenges because the housing crisis is multi-dimensional.”
Another urban planning expert, Mr Daniel Zulu, said under normal circumstances, urban housing developments are interlinked to employment and productivity, hence it can be argued that it is similar to the developments currently obtaining in the capital.
Mr Zulu said local authorities and central Government must spearhead partnerships with the private sector in the construction of low-cost housing largely for rental and partly for ownership.
However, some argue that the chaos in the housing sector goes down to the tenets of proper administration and good governance by local authorities, especially the capital city.
