Tendai Chara
IN April 2024, Yolanda Hodzi of Norton lost her life, while six others sustained injuries when the balcony of a dilapidated building at the intersection of Chinhoyi and Bank streets in Harare’s Central Business District (CBD) collapsed.
The tragedy occurred shortly after rains fell in the capital.
Hodzi and dozens of people had taken cover from the rain on the pavement of the building on Chinhoyi Street near the Gulf Complex when the balcony collapsed.
Apart from the death and injuries, three vehicles were damaged in the unfortunate incident.
The onset of the rainy season has resulted in some residents fearing for their lives amid reports that a sizeable number of the capital city’s buildings are dilapidated and face collapse.
In some instances, the fears have been exacerbated by the notable increase in the number of buildings being renovated in Harare’s CBD and elsewhere around the country.
A casual stroll in the CBD shows that some buildings are currently being renovated and extended upwards. Most of these structures have been turned into shopping malls, which appear to have become the new trend in most towns and cities across the country.
While this is a global trend and a welcome development, concerns have been raised by various experts, as some of the supposed renovations have neither been approved by the relevant authorities nor do they meet the required minimum standards.
With limited land, it appears those who own space in towns and cities are resorting to building upwards to maximise profits in rentals. Building upwards is considered a way of maximising both space and resources. A snap survey by The Sunday Mail Society revealed that in the CBD alone, there are more than six buildings currently undergoing vertical extension.
Apart from the vertical extension, some of the buildings are being upgraded as a direct response to local authorities’ call for all dilapidated buildings to be renovated.
The Harare City Council has since ordered those who own dilapidated buildings in and around the CBD to repair them or face sanctions prescribed under the country’s by-laws.
Concern
Last month, a building in Nigeria collapsed and killed seven people.
Reports from the West African country indicated that owners of the property did not obtain building permits and approvals.
Back home, residents are concerned about the safety of some of the buildings being renovated amid indications that some of the contractors engaged are not following laid-down construction procedures.
“With the increasing number of high-rise buildings in the CBD and reports of failure to follow building procedures, I foresee disaster. Without taking due care and without following procedure, a building can collapse. It may be now or in the years to come,” Regis Nzombe, a building contractor, said.
According to Nzombe, some building contractors are not following laid-down procedures. The contractors, he notes, are getting away with shoddy jobs after paying penalties.
“Most building contractors are not patient enough to wait for the councils’ building inspectors. So, what they are doing is that they are building without the inspections and later on pay penalty fees,” he said.
Structural engineering experts attribute the collapsing of towering buildings to a number of factors.
“High-rise buildings can fail due to various factors, which can be broadly categorised into structural and non-structural failures.
“For structural failures, we have design errors, material degradation and inadequate foundation or soil conditions, among others,” said Engineer Tanatsa Piki.
For non-structural failures, Eng Piki mentioned factors such as fires or explosions, flooding, elevator malfunctions, roofing failures and material degradation.
Human error, including poor workmanship, inadequate inspections, overloading and lack of emergency preparedness, also contributes to high-rise building collapses.
Engineer George Madziwa, another structural engineering expert, explained the necessary steps when converting a single-storey building into a high-rise:
“First and foremost, it is crucial to assess the building’s foundation and undertake underpinning before adding floors.
“Structural assessments, proper designing and planning, and obtaining necessary building permits and approvals are essential.”
Compliance
Harare City Council spokesperson Stanley Gama said those who own dilapidated buildings in the CBD are responding to the local authority’s calls for them to repair them.
He added that most of the building contractors are obtaining the necessary papers before embarking on renovations.
“Those who own buildings in the city are coming forward and getting the required approvals and inspections. One cannot just wake up and start building without council approval,” Gama said.
There are cases in which some structures, after being renovated, are undergoing change of use.
However, depending on the original use of the property, a change of use can be effected through Section 26 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act (Chapter 29:12) of 1996. This happens if the new business use is materially different from the original one or varies from provisions of an operative master/local/layout plan.
For instance, if the building was originally reserved for public use, for example, as a school, clinic, or for local authority purposes, a change of reservation may need to be approved by the Local Government Minister.
Similarly, any adjustments to the existing floor plans of a commercial building should be sanctioned by the relevant local authority before operations commence.
Hence, procedurally, fresh building plans should be submitted and approved first, with new conditions on the development permit imposed.
The chief director of spatial planning and development in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Shingirai Mushamba, said councils are responsible for issuing building permits, approving building plans and carrying out inspections.
“As the parent ministry, we are there to offer guidelines and to set standards. We only intervene when issues that need to be solved are before us,” Mushamba said.
He is, however, worried about the conduct of some building contractors.
“We have contractors who are building without the required council inspectors’ approval. These contractors take advantage of the fact that they will pay penalty fees when they have already finished their work,” explained Mushamba.
He said the contractors now view the penalty fees as part of the overall building costs.
He indicated that his ministry is working on making the penalties stiffer to make them prohibitive enough.
Assurance
Mushamba, however, believes Zimbabwe has better building standards than many countries in the region and continent at large.
“Our building standards are fairly high when compared to other African countries,” he said.
He further attributes the collapse of a few local buildings to old age and, in some instances, change of use.
“In other countries, contractors are not getting relevant approval before construction. In most cases, coroners’ reports in such countries often find the causes of building collapses to be structural failure, which is often not the case with us,” he added.
Mandla Tshuma, a construction engineer, encouraged property owners to build upwards.
“High-rise buildings have the advantage of maximising land use. They also reduce the need for sprawling developments. Tall buildings always appreciate in value,” said the Frontline Contracting managing director.
Elsewhere
Building collapses are becoming increasingly common in Nigeria, with more than a dozen such incidents recorded in the past two years. The authorities often blame the disasters on lack of enforcement of building safety regulations and poor maintenance.
Nigeria, Africa’s most populous country, recorded 22 building collapses between January and July this year, according to the country’s Council for Engineering Regulation. In July, a two-storey school collapsed in the north-central part of the country, killing 22 learners. Saints Academy, located in the Busa Buji community of Plateau state, collapsed shortly after the learners, many of whom were aged 15 or younger, arrived.
In 2016, and again in Nigeria, an apartment at Lekki Gardens Estate, an upmarket project, collapsed and 34 people were reportedly killed.
According to media reports, Nigerian authorities said the contractor had exceeded height regulations and had ignored orders to stop work.
On September 12, 2014, a guesthouse located within the Synagogue Church of All Nations in Lagos, Nigeria, collapsed. At least 115 people, among them 84 South Africans, were killed. The collapse was attributed to structural defects.
