dyton mupawaendaTafara Chibanda
THE on-going construction of cluster houses in Harare, without a comprehensive policy to manage infrastructure and ensure adequate services, was the subject of intense questioning at the Commission of Inquiry into Urban Development on Tuesday.
The Commission raised concerns over the city’s unchecked expansion of cluster housing, particularly in areas lacking sufficient water, sewage, and other necessary infrastructure.
Harare City Council’s Work and Town Planning Chairperson Councillor Takudzwa Dzumbunu, who was present to provide testimony, acknowledged the lack of a finalised cluster housing policy, which remains work in progress.
“We are still working on the policy for cluster housing.
“The concern about infrastructure, especially water reticulation and sewage disposal, is one we are actively addressing.
“Well, we had a Town Hall meeting, concerning cluster housing policy because we wanted to put in place a policy which caters for all the issues that you have raised, because we are also worried about the infrastructure, the sewer, and the fact that an area will be billing for one flat where it is maybe through densification, there are now 20 units,” she said.
Despite on-going policy work, the construction of cluster houses continues at an unprecedented rate, with Dzumbunu admitting that the city was unable to halt development pending the completion of the new policy.
“Unfortunately, the backlog of applications for cluster housing is so large that we cannot simply stop it while we finalise the policy,” she added.
The Commission raised alarms over the potential risks posed by these developments, particularly to public health.
Evidence lawyer Thabani Mpofu, who is leading evidence from witnesses appealing before the Commission, said:
“Wouldn’t you agree that the proliferation of these cluster houses is endangering the very health of the citizens you are supposed to protect?”
Dzumbunu acknowledged the concern.
Another area of concern raised at the commission was the City Council’s role in facilitating illegal land invasions and corrupt practices surrounding the regularisation of such land.
The practice of land barons illegally subdividing land and selling it to unsuspecting residents, who later expect regularisation by the city, was condemned as corrupt by the Commission.
Dzumbunu said this practice is not right when asked if the city was aware of the corruption involved in the regularisation process.
“It’s pure greed,” she said, emphasising the city’s commitment to demolishing houses built on wetlands and other illegal sites.
Online Reporter