The Harare City Council plans to demolish over 5,000 houses built in illegal settlements across the city, citing 37 High Court orders authorising the action.
The targeted houses are mostly in high-density suburbs such as Kuwadzana, Budiriro, Glen View, and Mabvuku and were built on land reserved for public amenities like schools and clinics.
The Sunday Mail reported that the government has opposed the move, with Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe insisting:
“There are no demolitions that are going to take place. We gave them a blanket ban on demolitions.”
Despite this, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume confirmed the council’s intention to enforce the demolitions to restore order and uphold the law, blaming political interference for delays.
“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,” Mafume said.
He added that the houses in question occupy land initially designated for essential services:
“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.”
Mafume compared the failure to enforce urban planning laws to an addiction, warning that continued negligence undermines city governance.
“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 said.
Mafume criticised land barons for exploiting modern building technologies to construct three-bedroom houses in a weekend, complicating legal enforcement.
“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,” Mafume explained.
The council recently demolished over 30 houses in Belvedere, alleging they were built on council-owned land unlawfully allocated by a private company using fraudulent documents. Residents accused the council of worsening the housing crisis, while the government distanced itself from the operation, ordering an investigation.
Further complicating matters, a Commission of Inquiry into the Harare City Council revealed that opposition CCC councillors have allegedly hijacked the regularisation of illegal settlements to collude with land barons. Principal housing officer Edgar Dzehonye testified that councillors allocated residential stands under dubious pay schemes, such as Svikiro and New Dawn, allowing illegal activities to thrive.
