Minister breathes fire, stops Harare City Council from demolishing 5,000 houses: You have 4 months to make a plan

Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has issued a stern rebuke to Harare City Council (CoH), halting the impending demolition of over 5,000 housing units and threatening legal action against any council official ordering demolitions without proper notice.

The Minister’s intervention follows a pattern of controversial demolitions by the council, raising serious questions about the council’s practices and the treatment of residents.

The Minister’s anger was palpable during a press conference in Harare this Monday. Responding to questions about the CoH’s controversial demolition of properties deemed illegally constructed, Minister Garwe declared that any council official ordering demolitions would face legal consequences.

He specifically criticised the council’s practice of allowing construction to proceed before intervening, stating: “Stop it as it emerges. Why wait for someone to build and then demolish? Let us be morally correct. No 5,000 houses are going to be demolished by the city (Harare) and to make matters worse, who gave them those pieces of land? Is it not the corrupt council officials?”

Minister Garwe’s comments followed recent demolitions in the upmarket Belvedere suburb, where several properties were razed, leaving residents distraught and questioning the fairness of the process. These demolitions, he argued, demonstrate a lack of morality within the system. “We are against demolishing. Where were you as a City Father when this piece of land was being sold? We cannot be more stupid than that. Definitely, we cannot,” he stated emphatically.

The Minister’s intervention is further supported by existing court orders mandating that councils provide four months’ notice before any demolition. Lately, demolitions have been carried out swiftly following court orders, leaving residents with little time to react or seek alternative solutions. Minister Garwe’s directive to halt the demolitions aims to rectify this situation and ensure that residents are treated fairly and given adequate time to address any concerns.

The planned demolitions are rooted in a long-standing issue of illegal settlements in Harare. As reported in November, the High Court granted the City Council permission to demolish over 5,000 houses built on land reserved for essential services, such as schools and clinics, in high-density suburbs including Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Glen View, and Mabvuku.

Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume, in an interview with The Sunday Mail two months ago, explained the council’s position, stating: “We have 37 High Court orders obtained by the City Council and private individuals to evict illegal settlers. These orders have not been enforced due to political interference and excuses that land barons have exploited to continue illegal developments. Not only do we have court orders, but we also have the Regional Town Planning Act, which is very clear on activities that have to happen in certain places.”

Councillor Mafume highlighted the severe consequences of these illegal constructions, explaining that the affected land was earmarked for crucial infrastructure: “The tragedy of it all is that over 5,000 of these houses have been built in areas that were earmarked for schools, clinics, recreation and sporting facilities. In the mornings, you see hundreds of children crossing Chitungwiza Road to reach schools in Highfield, Glen View and Glen Norah. It’s an unsustainable situation.”

He further emphasised the need for stricter enforcement of city regulations, drawing a parallel to addiction: “A city is an artificial construct which relies on the enforcement of the law and once people develop a habit of not enforcing the law, it becomes an addiction. It is an addiction worse than drug addiction.”

He also described how land barons exploit delays in enforcement, using modern building techniques to rapidly construct illegal structures before authorities can intervene.

“They can construct a three-bedroom house in a weekend. It starts with a small cabin that is immediately occupied and called a ‘home’. By the time we take legal action, they would have built larger structures,” he said.

The rapid construction, coupled with legal ambiguities surrounding the definition of a “home,” significantly complicates enforcement efforts. “The problem is that our law does not define what is a home. Our law says that you must not interfere with a structure once that place becomes a home,” he explained.

Minister Garwe’s decision to halt the demolitions provides a temporary reprieve for the affected residents, giving them a four-month window to address their housing situations. However, the underlying issues of illegal settlements and the need for effective urban planning remain.