Online Reporter
Remember Deketeke
Herald Correspondent
The crafting of the Harare Masterplan to guide the capital’s development is now in its penultimate stage, with city officials expressing optimism about its potential to address decades of uncoordinated growth, decaying infrastructure and service delivery failures.
Addressing a Press conference yesterday, Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume said the initial draft of the plan has been completed and is currently under review by councillors, senior management and consultants.
Once this internal review is done, the document will be submitted to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works for final consideration.
“We are now at the penultimate stage of the master plan,” he said.
“The much-awaited Harare Masterplan, its initial draft, has been done.
“Councillors and senior staff are appraising themselves of what has been achieved.”
A city master plan typically spans 10 to 15 years and serves as a strategic blueprint for urban development.
It provides a roadmap for sustainable growth by setting out the city’s long-term vision and detailing key policy priorities across various sectors.
Harare’s master plan was last reviewed in 1993.
The new plan, according Clr Mafume, tackles critical issues such as transport, water supply, housing, energy and environmental management, key sectors that have long been in decline.
“This is the capital city, the engine of the nation,” he said.
“This strategic masterplan speaks to the development trajectory of both the city and the nation at large.
“It has taken a long time, but the Harare masterplan is not an easy task.
“It would have surprised us if it had taken a short time.
“We are convinced that we have done a thorough job.
“We have got a product that will stimulate growth of the city, encourage proper planning and deal with the problems of the past.”
He said the plan is designed to reverse the fragmented and chaotic expansion that has characterised Harare in recent years, often marked by mushrooming settlements and uncoordinated private and cooperative developments.
“The city has gone through a lot,” he added.
“It has been developed through cooperatives, private sector initiatives, government and municipal interventions.
“Our hope now is to align development and stop the mushroom-type of growth that just erupts anyhow.”
In 2023, President Mnangagwa launched a blueprint titled; “A Call to Action-No Compromise to Service Delivery: First Stage of Interventions to Modernise the Operations of Local Authorities Towards a 2030 Vision.”
The blueprint directed all 92 local authorities to submit masterplans as part of efforts to enhance service delivery.
Lead consultant on the development of the plan, Mr Trymore Muderere, described the document as a “transformative instrument” that differs significantly from the 1993 version.
