Harare’s secretary for Provincial Affairs Tafadzwa Muguti has ordered investigations into the allocation of residential stands on tarred roads in Glen Norah and on other road servitudes by the Harare City Council (HCC).
Several media reports exposed the issue this week but the City of Harare insisted the stands were allocated properly, saying it was the tarred road that was an illegal structure.
In a Twitter post, the Harare Metropolitan Provincial office said if there are any shortcomings in the allocation of the said stands, the matter will be reported to the Zimbabwe Anti-corruption Commission (ZACC). The post read:
[Harare Metropolitan Province] Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution [Tafadzwa Muguti] has instructed the Provincial Planning Office to look into [the City of Harare’s] Glen Norah Stands allocated on the road amongst many other stands issued on the road servitudes. Any shortcomings will be reported to [ZACC].
The provincial planner will look into the original plans for the city, change of use authorisations, community engagements and approvals for the existing structure being built.
However, a Harare City Council memo dated 16 June 2021 revealed that Local Government minister July Moyo approved the layout plan for Glen Norah. The memo reads:
According to a town planners’ perspective, there was nothing untoward about the planning of the residential infill stands in Glen Norah as it is the council’s mandate to provide residents with stands to build houses, especially in areas that are technically feasible and are already endowed with services such as roads, water and sewers.
From the audit report, the land was being used for urban agriculture yet it had been approved by the Minister of Local Government for housing development according to the approved layout plan for Glen Norah/Glen View.
Space for the expansion and/ or preservation of the crescents is still available and should council wish to maintain these roads as crescents, it can easily be accommodated still.