The City of Gweru has identified more than 60 buildings in the Central Business District (CBD) that need urgent renovations to meet the required standards.
Speaking during a City Council business engagement meeting held recently at the Mayor’s parlour, a Gweru City Council official Tapiwa Marerwa, warned that the local authority will not hesitate to demolish buildings with structural defects. Said Marerwa:
We have been approached by various stakeholders with complaints that our buildings are in a bad state.
Most of them are generally not being maintained making them inhabitable and not fit to be used.
It is a requirement at law for us as a local authority to make sure that the owners of these buildings have addressed the anomalies.
We have summoned the respective owners of these buildings to take corrective measures but in the case of buildings with structural defects, these will be demolished, there is no going back on that.
Some of the buildings in the city have collapsing roofs while others have cracks and the paint is peeling off. Added Marerwa:
While some have cracks, others have paint peeling off and there are a number of buildings that have been abandoned.
Council was in the process of engaging owners of these buildings so that they can address the flagged areas.