malvernmugadzikwa
Tendai Chara
ZIMBABWE, like other countries in Africa and beyond, is experiencing rapid urbanisation.
This trend, where people are moving from rural areas to major cities at a fast pace, is resulting in the proliferation of emerging communities in the latter.
Locally, the majority of the urban population is concentrated in Harare, the capital city.
The ever-growing population of Harare and the demand for housing have led to the creation of settlements, particularly on the outskirts of the city. One such settlement, Hopley, established in 2006, has since expanded into a large community.
The suburb was established as a temporary shelter for people displaced by the regularisation and enforcement of building bylaws in urban areas.
However, its population rapidly grew, reaching an estimated 65 000 residents by 2018, a mix of both official and informal inhabitants. Recent reports suggest that the population has now surged to approximately 300 000.
The place is a densely populated settlement characterised by closely packed buildings. Homes often accommodate up to five family members and are built in close proximity to one another, contributing to the suburb’s unusually large population.
Demand
The creation of settlements like Hopley has helped alleviate housing challenges in Harare. The city has a housing waiting list of over 1,5 million people.
Located on the southern edge of the capital city, Hopley, like other rapidly developing settlements, still lacks sufficient on-site and off-site infrastructure for water and sewage.
But despite lacking basic infrastructure, there is a high demand for residential stands in this once-overlooked area. The scramble for stands in the emerging suburb has led some residents to seek legal recourse.
The Hopley Residents Association (HRA) reports that 3 000 cases involving dwellers are currently before the courts, primarily due to alleged double allocation of stands by the Harare City Council.
A visit to the sprawling settlement revealed several factors contributing to the increased demand for housing and commercial stands, chief among them being the Government’s ongoing regularisation programme.
Hopley is one of the settlements targeted for expansion and formalisation.
Trymore Chikukumende, a member of the HRA, attributed the rising demand for stands to this initiative.
“There is a greater demand for residential stands in this area than ever before. This can be attributed to the ongoing regularisation programme,” he told The Sunday Mail Society.
Everjoice Kamusikiri, the councillor for Ward 35, Harare South, also cited two reasons for the interest the locals have developed in her area.
“The Government-initiated regularisation drive has sparked a significant demand for stands. Additionally, several ongoing development projects are attracting more residents to the area,” she said.
Interventions
According to Kamusikiri, 1 520 homes have already benefitted from a piped water programme coordinated by a non-governmental organisation, in partnership with the Harare City Council.
The scheme involves drilling boreholes maintained by residents.
Kamusikiri added that over 30 000 households, including some from neighbouring Southlea Park and Stoneridge suburbs, are expected to benefit in the programme’s second phase.
Since its inception, Hopley has endured acute water shortages.
Leonard Gono, a resident since 2006, highlighted positive developments in the area.
“In addition to piped water and the regularisation process, electricity connections are being established. These factors are driving the high demand for land,” he said.
Hopley is already connected to the national electricity grid.
The Government has expressed its intention to bring order and development to underdeveloped areas through various initiatives.
Mavis Mazani, deputy director for urban design and urban renewal in the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, stated that the regularisation of settlements such as Hopley is ongoing.
“The ministry is currently reviewing layout plans for approval, as part of the regularisation process. As you may know, regularisation now falls under the purview of our sister ministry, the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities,” Mazani said.
Efforts to get a comment from the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities were not fruitful at the time of going to print.
Plan
Developments in Hopley are expected to align with the modernisation efforts underway at the nearby Mbudzi Interchange.
Harare South legislator Trymore Kanopula said some progress had already been made with regard to transforming the suburb.
“Areas like Magada have already entered the initial stages of regularisation, with site maps and plans in place,” said Kanopula.
Chaos
Despite these positive changes, chaos prevails due to the Harare City Council’s alleged double allocation of stands.
Illegal structures have proliferated throughout the settlement. Areas designated for community facilities like playgrounds have been converted into private residential stands by land barons.
Maurice Ropa, a long-time resident, is a victim.
“I arrived here many years ago and was recently shocked to learn that someone else claimed ownership of the land I have lived on for so long,” a visibly upset Ropa stated.
The case is currently before the courts.
Pedzisai Munhenga, another resident, opposes the occupation of land designated for schools.
“Our children attend schools far from home, which is unsafe. While this may seem harsh, those who occupied school sites must be relocated,” he said.
Harare City Council spokesperson Stanley Gama blamed land barons for the double allocation of stands.
“It is impossible for the council to allocate a stand to multiple individuals. We have site maps and plans. Land barons are responsible for the illegal subdivision and distribution of land in Hopley,” explained Gama.
Challenges in informal settlement regularisation
THE regularisation of informal settlements has become a common initiative for addressing urban development and growth in many Sub-Saharan African cities.
However, its governance remains complex and understudied.
Challenges persist in regularising informal settlements in peri-urban Tanzania.
Findings indicate that existing structural governance operations, primarily driven by stakeholders such as community leaders and planning and surveying firms, hinder the regularisation process.
Consequently, delays and halts in regularisation demoralise landholders.
To ensure effective and efficient governance structures for regularisation activities, responsible actors must diligently fulfil their roles, as outlined in policy and legal documents.
Accountability and transparency should be reinforced in the operation and implementation of regularisation schemes to guarantee adherence to guiding policies and laws.
African cities have experienced unprecedented growth and expansion of informal settlements, accompanied by various challenges.
This rapid growth, fuelled by rural-urban migration, natural population increase, the sale of unserviced customary land and unmodernised urbanisation, has led to uncontrolled city transformation.
As a result, 50 percent to 70 percent of urban residents in these cities live in informal settlements.
Informal settlements are associated with poor spatial planning, inadequate land management and administration systems, and a lack of affordable housing.
This often leads to health risks due to environmental and sanitation challenges common in many African cities. Other negative impacts include limited access to livelihood opportunities and insecure land tenure.
In response to these challenges, various context-specific approaches have been implemented.
Many African countries, including Tanzania, view regularisation as a crucial governance initiative for formalising informal settlements in major cities.
This is because land regularisation is increasingly recognised as a valuable urban planning tool for addressing informal settlements in African cities.
Consequently, diverse strategies and policy interventions have been established, reflecting global and national policy agendas. For instance, the New Urban Agenda advocates upgrading of informal settlements to achieve sustainable city growth in Africa.
Similarly, Sustainable Development Goal 11 (Target 11.1) also promotes slum upgrading. Notably, these global initiatives have been adapted to suit national and local contexts, as land policies and regularisation governance challenges vary widely.
At the national level, Tanzania has enacted various policies and laws to guide the regularisation of informal settlements. These include the Land Act of 1999, the National Human Settlements policy of 2000 and the Urban Planning Act of 2007.
Among other objectives, these policy instruments seek to establish informal settlement regularisation initiatives and encourage participation from land planning and surveying firms, as well as civil society, in land-related activities.
Several studies have examined different aspects of regularisation governance in Africa. Key areas of focus include:
Regularisation and sustainable land use or development
Land grabbing by barons and its impact on formalisation
Ineffectiveness of regularisation regulations and tenure disputes
Regularisation and poverty reduction
The relevance of regularisation or upgrading as a new planning approach
Literature has also addressed technical challenges, opportunities for informal settlement regularisation, community involvement and development, and land/settlements. — Wires
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