The Sunday Mail
Harare City Council is putting hundreds of businesspeople at risk by allowing them to operate in unsafe buildings in the central business district, it has emerged.
Some of the buildings’ public safety standards have not been checked for close to a decade now, contrary to a statutory annual requirement.
Many structures have defects, inadequate fire escape routes and blotted occupancies due to illegal office partitioning.
The city’s building inspectorate department has a depleted workforce and council attributes this staff shortage to its failure to conduct regular inspections.
City of Harare Fire Brigade’s fire prevention department, which also contributes in the building inspection process, only has four officers, including the head.
“The department is critically understaffed.
“As it stands, it would take us at least four days to inspect and draw up inspection reports for a single building the size of Karigamombe Centre. This gives you a picture of the amount of work we need to do.
“So, you can understand the amount of time needed to inspect all the buildings in the CBD. The major problem arises from illegal office partitioning, which compromises public safety in the event of a fire at the buildings,” said some sources in the City of Harare Fire Brigade department.
In 2012, the city health and fire departments condemned several buildings with reprehensible safety standards, but allowed them to continue operating. The buildings include Robin House, Dublin House, Daventry House, Stewart and Lloyds, Bush House, Roslin House, Msasa House, Mahachi Quardum Building, Winstone House and Vivandelphi Court.
According to regulations, council should inspect buildings annually and install fire hydrants citywide.
There should be at least one fire extinguisher after every six metres in public buildings.
Zimbabwe Institute of Regional and Urban Planners president Mr Percy Toriro said, “In the interest of public safety, the relevant building owners should comply with public safety laws and repair their buildings following regulations set by council.
“We encourage municipal authorities to emphasise high safety standards and operators should pressure building owners to repair these buildings and follow proper safety standards as they are the ones at high risk of being affected in the event that a building catches fire or collapses.”
Town House had not responded to The Sunday Mail’s inquiries by late yesterday afternoon while most office occupants declined commenting.
