The Sunday Mail
When Sidewalk Café, one of the many fancy bars in the Central Business District back in 2008, collapsed and killed at least four patrons while injuring several others, not many people saw it coming. Before the incident, it probably would have sounded far-fetched and alarmist to suggest that a fancy structure in the CBD could actually collapse and kill people.
However, when least expected it did happen, leaving deaths and permanent injuries behind. It was later to be reported that the building was not fit for public safety and the incident became an eye-opener for the authorities. A few years after, Harare City Council duly identified and condemned some of the buildings in the CBD which had become unfit for public safety over the years.
It revealed that about 10 buildings which include Roslin House, Daventry and Dublin had become a danger to the public, hence needed to be vacated and rehabilitated. However, despite all the dangers, council has failed to act on the issue thereby leaving the public still at great risk. A top council official said that since the buildings were condemned about two years ago, no concrete action has been taken so far.
“I can tell you that since this information (about condemned buildings) was revealed to senior managers nothing has been done to rectify the situation,” said the official.
While the risk of the buildings collapsing is considered to be relatively low, disasters such as infernos and diseases outbreaks cannot be ruled out.
Efforts to get a comment from City Council were fruitless as directors in the departments of Health Services and Public Safety referred questions to the director of Works Engineer Phillip Pfukwa. Engineer Pfukwa requested written questions which he, however, had not respond to by the time of going to print. Experts say while the Sidewalk Café debacle was a rude awakening call to authorities, council should not wait for another disaster to happen for them to act They believe the number of buildings which are a threat to public safety may have increased from 10 since most of them have gone for several years without being inspected.
A snap survey last week showed that most of the buildings are occupied by informal traders who partition the buildings into small offices to avoid paying high rentals.
Some of the office buildings have also been converted into residential premises although they do not meet the demands of a domestic property.
Tailors, cellphone dealers and small restaurants now dominate most buildings in the city and experts say this compromises the safety requirements of the buildings.
Though public safety requirements may vary from building to building, there are general and basic safety features that need to be adhered to, and these include ventilation, fire protection mechanisms, elevators and stairs, lighting, water and sewerage reticulation systems as well as load-bearing capacity. If most of these aspects are in a bad state, then a building can be declared unfit for public safety.
In Zimbabwe all buildings must meet the minimum standards as stipulated in the Model Building by-laws to ensure public health and safety.
By this virtue the City Council, therefore, has got the power to close a building if it does not meet the specified minimum standards.
Zimbabwe Institute of Rural and Urban Planners president, Mr Percy Toriro, outlined some of the qualities required of a safe building.
“There are a lot of things which can lead to the condemnation of a building. These include sanitary issues, fire and emergency escapes as well as elevators,” he said.
“In our cities some of these qualities are not being met mainly because there is no longer regular maintenance of these facilities.“A lot of hazards can happen as a consequence of using condemned buildings. These can be fire, disease outbreaks and even collapse.”
Mr Toriro said the National Social Security Authority (NSSA) should also conduct their own regular check-ups to ensure public safety.
“NSSA must always do regular checks of these buildings because they also fall under their constituency because there are a lot of workers in them.”
NSSA can work with the local authorities on this issue since its mandate involves issues of occupational health and safety and as such they can advise on what action to take depending on the state of each building.
When contacted for comment, the authority’s public relations department which requested written questions had not replied by the time of going to print. University of Zimbabwe lecturer and urban development expert, Mr Nyasha Mutsindikwa, said instead of rushing to blame council people should consider all the deterring factors which are preventing council from carrying out its mandate. “The degree or extent of risk posed by the buildings might not be that serious plus the owners of those buildings may be very influential to the extent of manipulating decisions by the local authority resulting in no action being taken,” he said.
“The nature of activities the building is being used for and lease agreements between landlord and tenants may also be issues of concern before action can be taken.” Mr Mutsindikwa, however, said property owners must carry out various types of building maintenance such as routine maintenance and preventive maintenance on their buildings to prolong the life span of buildings.
“There is need for the city council to carry out a compulsory building condition survey on those buildings which would have been deemed unsafe,” he said. Some observers are, however, of the view that council should carry out an audit of all the city structures to come up with a comprehensive solution.
