Online Reporter
Trust Freddy-Herald Correspondent
Fifty children were forced to scramble from their classrooms on Thursday as City of Harare authorities moved to demolish Kinderland Pre-School in Hopley Zone 6, leaving parents and staff in shock.
The operation, which was allegedly executed without a High Court order, levelled the school’s classrooms, destroying stationery and essential teaching materials.
Video footage captured during the raid shows a chaotic scene as learners scrambled to evacuate while a grader tore through sections of the school building. The demolition follows a protracted dispute over land ownership.
The school’s proprietor, Mr Alexio Majuru, claims he has operated the facility since 2015 based on an application for land use filed in 2014. However, Mr Majuru claims that the same land was allocated to a different applicant who filed papers in 2022.
He contends that his application was unfairly bypassed and that the demolition was premature, given that a legal challenge regarding land ownership remains active in the courts.
“The case is still before the courts, and I am shocked that even before it was heard, they went ahead and demolished,” he said. “My appeal to the Government is to assist the affected children; the demolition was carried out mid-term, and the students are now stranded.”
Mr Majuru also alleged that police refused to assist the demolition team because no court order was presented.
The sudden nature of the demolition has left many young children traumatised, with reports from the community indicating that several learners have been refusing to eat in the aftermath of the ordeal.
“We are not happy because they simply decided to come mid-term,” said Mr Everson Chihwa, a concerned parent. “We now have to look for books again and another place for our children.”
Ms Bridget Zivhu, a parent who lives close to the school, said she miraculously rescued her five-year-old daughter from the classroom, as the menacing bulldozer had started tearing apart the school.
“My daughter escaped death by a whisker,” said Ms Zivhu. “When I saw a grader pulling down the school’s toilets, I rushed over. I had to help my child get out of class, and some teachers even lost their mobile phones in the scramble.”
Other parents expressed anger over the timing, noting the logistical nightmare of finding new placements in the middle of a school term.
Contacted for comment, City of Harare spokesperson Mr Stanley Gama said: “I am not aware of the demolition, but let me check with the relevant departments.”
Investigations by Zimpapers reveal a fractured administrative history surrounding the property.
The school owner, Mr Majuru, reportedly lacked finalised lease documentation, holding only a 2014 application for the land.
While Mr Majuru proceeded with construction based on letters of support from local officials, anticipating regularisation, the council ultimately denied his request.
It is alleged that the land was later reallocated to another party who filed an application in 2022.
The situation reached a breaking point on December 1 last year, when Mr Majuru was served a 48-hour demolition notice.
Despite efforts to challenge the order through legal channels, the Tariro District Council moved forward with the destruction.
A final warning, sent via text message to Mr Majuru by a council official identified only as Romao, signalled that time was up for him.
“I have just passed through your crèche, and there’s no sign that you are complying with that demolition notice. I have thus agreed with my immediate supervisor that the pending demolition will go ahead tomorrow. If you were serious about removing the structures on your own, you have until the end of today; whatever is left, we will have to demolish first thing tomorrow.”
Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education spokesperson Mr Taungana Ndoro said: “We will not involve ourselves in the dispute regarding the violation of by-laws, but I would like to assure the nation that the ministry has sufficient capacity in nearby schools to accommodate all affected students.”
