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Open200 Houses Built On Land Reserved For Harare Drive Expansion Face Demolition
Around 200 houses and properties, including two luxury mansions on the foothills of the National Heroes Acre, have been illegally constructed on land reserved for the Harare Drive expansion project and are now at risk of demolition.
The City of Harare says Harare Drive was originally designed to form a circular route around the city, and its plans remain unchanged.
According to the original 1998 detailed engineering designs, the missing sections of the Harare Drive ring road are intended to connect key areas, including Solomon Mujuru Drive (formerly Kirkman Road) at Warren Hills to Gleneagles Road in Southerton, Houghton Park through Mainway Meadows, Retreat to Seke Road, then to Twentydales Road in Hatfield to Mutare Road in Msasa.
However, widespread encroachment has occurred, especially in the Waterfalls and Retreat suburbs, where more than 100 houses have been built on the Harare Drive road reserve.
In Waterfalls, particularly in Mainway Meadows, a visible divide exists where residents have left a 60-meter-wide corridor free of development in recognition of the future path of Harare Drive.
However, in areas like Retreat, construction continues unchecked, with reports of land barons illegally pegging stands in anticipation of the road’s development.
Minister Oliver Makoni, who leads the Church of Grace Ministries and built a structure in Retreat along the planned path of Harare Drive, denied that they had encroached on land designated for the road. He said:
We have never been informed by the City Council about any encroachment issues.
We have a site plan, and our papers are in order, all the papers are at Rowan Martin. Why can’t you obtain a GPS report, they have that GPS. It can verify whether we have encroached or not.
It’s nearly 10 years now, but above all the City should know that peoples’ lives are important than a road.
Harare City Council acting director of urban planning, Samuel Nyabezi, acknowledged the existence of many houses built on Harare Drive, particularly in the Retreat area. He said:
Yes, there are many houses that have been built on Harare Drive, particularly in Retreat, but at some point, those structures shall be demolished because our plan for Harare Drive road expansion is clear.
He also told The Herald that two mansions had been built near Harare Drive, close to the National Heroes Acre.
Nyabezi said the owners of these houses had been informed that there would be no negotiations and the houses would be demolished. He added:
The city council will never approve a house to be built on land reserved for a road. These people are just getting site plans and going on to build a full house.
At some point, those structures shall be demolished because our plan for Harare Drive road expansion is clear.
Harare Mayor, Councillor Jacob Mafume, reiterated the city’s commitment to demolishing all illegal structures. Said Mafume:
We will demolish all those illegal structures. If you ask me to provide a solution, I will only push for demolition, because surely, you cannot build on land reserved for a road.
It’s perhaps the government that will stop us. You cannot build on land reserved for a road.
Meanwhile, the Constitutional Court recently ruled that demolishing homes without a court order is unconstitutional, presenting a significant challenge for local authorities.
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