The Sunday Mail
Tendai Chara
THE informal settlement of Caledonia, which is located some 17 kilometres east of Harare, is in a sorry state.
Without proper roads, a sewer reticulation system, affordable schools and reliable water sources among other necessities, Caledonia Farm is, without question, one of the country’s most underdeveloped urban settlements.
It lacks basic essential social amenities, years after the bustling settlement was established. Now, residents want to turn the situation around.
“For all these years, we have been shooting ourselves in the foot by watching the situation going from bad to worse. As residents, we now feel that it is time for this settlement to rise from the ashes and shine. It is us that can make it happen,” Asan Kaunda, president of the newly formed Caledonia Residents Association Trust (CRAT), said.
Last week, The Sunday Mail Society visited the populous and popular semi-squatter settlement, which is located just outside Harare’s high-density suburbs of Mabvuku and Tafara.
It is a study in disorder.
Home to an estimated 150 000 people, chaos reigns supreme at Gazebo Shopping Centre, the heart and soul of Caledonia. With piles of garbage strewn all over the informal business centre, swarms of flies darting from one place to another are a common sight.
On both sides of the main road that links Caledonia with Tafara and Mabvuku are shops that are haphazardly constructed.
Roadside vendors also add to the melee.
In clear violation of town planning ethos, most of the shops have been constructed so close to the road that they almost sandwich it.
The shopping centre is also a mesh of hardware shops, butcheries, restaurants and flea market stalls.
Makeshift beerhalls also command a share in this disorganised setting.
It is estimated that more than 1 000 shops are being operated at this busy shopping centre. For visitors, navigating through the overcrowded maze of “streets” can prove to be a daytime nightmare.
Oddly, a commuter omnibus rank was planted right in the middle of this chaos they call a shopping centre.
The voices of touts canvassing for passengers to board their ramshackle vehicles are unmistakable.
Andrew Madzivadondo, a resident who is also the CRAT spokesman, said there was need to bring order to the settlement.
“This free-for-all situation must be addressed as a matter of urgency. I know that there is a great need for services that are offered by the shops. Order must, however, prevail,” Madzivadondo said.
However, Deputy Minister of Local Government and Public Works Marian Chombo said plans to regularise the settlement were already afoot.
“The ministry is in the process of facilitating the gazetting of a joint Committee of Harare City and Goromonzi Rural District Council (GRDC) to oversee the running of affairs in Caledonia. Furthermore, we have a committee that deals with irregular and dysfunctional settlements which has Caledonia as one of its priority areas, among others,” she said.
Churu Farm on the outskirts of Harare and Gimboki in Mutare are among other informal settlements that are set to be regularised. According to Deputy Minister Chombo, the approved layout plans for Caledonia have 29 000 stands on State land. Similarly, tenders for the provision of feasibility studies, engineering designing and construction of both on-site and off-site infrastructure are being processed.
Crime
Naturally, crime thrives where chaos reigns supreme.
“We are recording break-ins daily. Only yesterday, my neighbour’s shop was broken into and goods worth thousands of dollars were stolen. The crime rate is rising despite the fact that we have a police post nearby,” bemoaned Munyaradzi Musvaire, another local resident.
Criminal elements freely roam the streets and the public is often intimidated each time they try to approach the police for recourse.
“As early as 7pm, we are having prostitutes queuing along this road waiting for clients,” he added.
With 55 000 households, Caledonia does not have a single Government school.
As a result, opportunists have opened private schools, which are charging exorbitant fees that are beyond the reach of many.
Most of the learning institutions, some of them illegal, are often housed in decrepit buildings.
Some parents are forced to send their children to schools in neighbouring Mabvuku and Tafara.
For instance, there are significant learners from the community that are enrolled at Mapfeni Primary School, which is located some nine kilometres away.
“I fear for my two girls. We have had cases of girls who were raped on their way to school. I am very worried, to say the least,” said Linos Banda.
Locals said of the 48 stands that were reserved for schools construction, none will be Government-owned.
The sprawling settlement, which locals claim has a population which is bigger than urban settlements such as Marondera and Bindura, only has a single clinic.
Shortages of public transport is forcing residents to walk long distances.
Antony Mawire, who was walking from Caledonia Phase 21 to Mutamba Shopping Centre, a distance of more than five kilometres, pleads for the crisis to be addressed.
“We are happy with the regularisation process, which I am told is currently ongoing. However, one of our most pressing needs is transport. We are walking long distances to go to the nearest bus stop,” Mawire said.
According to Government estimates, Caledonia has a population of over 150 000 and sits on 200 hectares of land.
Caledonia Farm was acquired during the land redistribution exercise in 2000 before its land use was switched from agriculture to residential.
Government moved in to regularise the settlement in 2016 and roads and bridges were constructed.
Deputy Minister Chombo said her ministry had partnered Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities and the private sector in an urban renewal and regeneration programme for the informal settlement of Gimboki in Mutare.
“… with regards to Churu Farm where people have invaded land areas designated for schools, clinics and roads, these people will be removed and alternative sites sought for them,” she said.
Ends
