On Sunday, Harare’s mayor, His Worship Councillor Jacob Mafume, expressed concern that several buildings in the capital were hazardous and at risk of closure due to their dilapidated condition.
Following his visit to a building that collapsed on Chinhoyi Street in the central business district on Saturday afternoon, resulting in one fatality and six injuries, Mafume spoke to NewsDay. He said:
We are sorry for the tragedy. I am very sad about what happened. It is very unfortunate, we issued a notice just a few weeks ago about the state of buildings in the capital.
We will inspect them with a view to close those that do not meet standards and give a timeline to revamp the buildings so that in future we do not record such tragedies.
On Sunday, 07 April, Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) national spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said the victim, identified as Yolanda Hodzi, an adult female from Maridale, Norton, was positively identified by her next of kin.
He also said three vehicles parked in front of the building sustained damage.
The damaged vehicles are: a Mazda 323, registration number, AAW 5934; a Toyota Probox, registration number, AGE 8052; a Toyota Spade, registration number, AGN 6805.
Meanwhile, last week, the City of Harare issued a 14-day ultimatum to all property owners and occupants of buildings in the CBD, requiring them “to renew or regenerate their buildings and/or properties either through repairs, refurbishments and/or repainting.”
In a public notice, Town Clerk Hosiah Chisango emphasized that the council will take decisive action against those who disregard this directive.
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