By Marshall Bwanya
HARARE – The City of Harare has given residents in settlements earmarked for regularisation 14 days to meet outstanding requirements or risk having their structures demolished.
Acting Town Clerk Warren Chiwawa issued the ultimatum in a public notice dated October 26, targeting beneficiaries who occupied council, state and private land before the September 23, 2023 cut-off date but failed to comply with conditions attached to their partial certificates of compliance.
Affected residents are required to visit their respective district offices, pay the prescribed land charges and penalties, submit architectural plans for approval and settle costs linked to the illegal construction of roads, water and sewer infrastructure.
They must also complete outstanding infrastructure development works, according to the notice issued under the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act.
City of Harare said beneficiaries who meet the requirements would have rates accounts opened in their names, while enforcement action would be taken against those who remain non-compliant.
“All costs of demolitions, rubble removal, site clearing and reinstatement shall be borne entirely by the owner of the demolished illegal structures,” Chiwawa warned.
Structures built on ecologically sensitive land and sites reserved for public facilities that cannot be regularised will also be demolished.
The city has ordered an immediate halt to ongoing construction being carried out without council approval.
“Council will act firmly, decisively and without fear or favour,” the notice states.
It adds: “No person, regardless of status, position, political affiliation or influence, is exempt from the application of the law.”
The notice follows longstanding concerns over illegal land allocations, disputed housing schemes and the construction of homes on land reserved for public infrastructure.
Residents in some settlements have previously faced uncertainty over the legality of their land purchases, with disputes often involving alleged land barons and contested allocations.
However, the latest directive distinguishes between properties eligible for regularisation and structures that cannot legally be approved because of their location or other planning restrictions.
Affected residents seeking clarification have been directed to the city’s Director of Urban Planning Services at Cleveland House or the Director of Housing and Community Services at the department’s head office in Mbare.
The 14-calendar-day compliance period runs from the date of publication of the notice.
Failure to comply could leave property owners facing demolition costs as well as the loss of their structures.
