Online Reporter
Peter Tanyanyiwa
HARARE residents are FED UP with an explosion of noise and night clubs mushrooming in their neighbourhoods, including homes which are being converted into night spots, and the rising cases of crime which have come with this drift into lawlessness.
Some are also angry that many sports clubs in the capital have been turned into theatres of entertainment, instead of sport, and regularly hold big outdoor musical shows whose noise levels are unacceptable.
These issues were raised at a meeting at a packed Kingdom People Church in Mt Pleasant on Friday where residents demanded urgent action from city officials, the police and the Government to bring order.
Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution, Tafadzwa Muguti, and Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cosmas Chiringa, joined City of Harare officials, police, and the Liquor Licensing Board at the meeting.
“Our office has been inundated with complaints from residents concerning noise around the greater area — nightclubs which are not adhering to their licensing, restaurants and bars causing noise and environmental pollution, crimes and other things,” said Muguti.
“We want to assure the residents and the citizens at large that you do have a voice and you deserve to be heard.”
“If as residents you object to a permit and the process is ignored, that is abuse of office.
‘Most of the people you saw us arresting during my time, we arrested them for abuse of office. We need to change those laws . . . We are losing 50 to 70 kids a week to drugs and alcohol abuse in this country.”
Residents described sleepless nights, property values plummeting and a city losing its sense of order.
Secretary for Presidential Affairs and Devolution, Tafadzwa Muguti, and Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Cosmas Chiringa, joined City of Harare officials, police, and the Liquor Licensing Board at the meeting.
“There are over 20 (noisy venues) in an area of about two square kilometres,” said Carole Pearce, former chairperson of Ward 17.
“The entire suburb is drenched with noise, four nights a week and quite often early in the mornings when they have Zumba.
“We want the city and the police to put a stop to it.”
Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association Chairperson Robert Mutyasira said:
“For about 11 years, residents were raising complaints to the city, to the police, concerning what is called the prayer mountain.
“They are doing a good thing, but they do it in the wrong way, I guess. But we finally got a demolition order.
“It pains me when residents have to sell properties that they invested so much in.”
A representative of Sunridge, identified only as Makaya, said: “We are here to help you but the police and the city do nothing, absolutely nothing.
“I tried to get Homeground to lower the noise by going to the chief inspector of police but all I get is ‘definitely we are going to look into it,’ but nothing has happened.”
Old Alex Park representative, Bev Aurora, said:
“Residents’ objections carry no weight any longer. When Cosmopolitan Bar was being built, there were over 250 objections that went through.
“Residents are not against development, but do it within reason and do it within the law.
“It is deeply saddening when you’ve lived in an area for most of your life and you are forced to move out of your home because of one enterprise.”
Mr Brown, of Mt Pleasant, said:
“Zimbabwe has had laws in place for decades now. We don’t have to rewrite the law. Let’s stick to the law, it’s all there.
“The problem that we have here is our enforcement of law.”
City of Harare representative, James Mazvimba, said: “The level of consultations appears to be tokenistic, appears to be inadequate and yes, we do agree that we need to do more.
“People are flouting the conditions that are enshrined in their permits and doing exactly the opposite.”
