Itai Mazire
The City of Harare has put 22 255 illegal residential stands under the spotlight, with 5 831 facing demolition while 16 424 will be regularised, according to a hard-hitting report by the Town Clerk that sets a cutoff date of 24 September 2023 and declares all low-density land invasions will be demolished “without fear or favour”, targeting politically connected land barons who “abuse their standing in society”.
The regularisation covers pay schemes, cooperatives with valid council allocations and built-up invasions in high-density areas that predate the cutoff, requiring partial compliance certificates, rates, penalties and endowment fees, while demolition applies to 12 entire settlements not recommended for regularisation plus all new invasions, wetland/school/recreation site occupations, low-density areas and sites under court order.
Council noted a new modus operandi of weekend and night invasions to occupy structures before demolitions can happen and listed targeted sites including Greendale (14 stands invaded for 8 years with a court order), Belvedere Ridgeview (previously demolished in July 2023 now facing final demolition), Kuwadzana Paddocks (at least 10 cooperatives with court orders awaiting execution), Quinington (private land invaded with fake documents), and invasions of school sites, greenways and open spaces in Tynwald, Glenview 7 and Mabelreign.
The Task Force has covered 101 settlements since July 2023, regularising 93 (16,424 stands), with the remaining 12 settlements (5,831 stands) now in the firing line as council sends “a clear message, that Council is not considering lawlessness.”
