Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
SCORES of small-scale industrial operators at the Kuwadzana 1 Home Industry are facing eviction after they received 48-hour notices from the City of Harare ordering them to vacate the premises over alleged unauthorised developments.
The notices, issued by the Department of Urban Planning Services, state that an inspection conducted on July 7 established that illegal developments had been erected on Stand 1-101 in Kuwadzana 1 Township.
According to the notices, the unauthorised developments include workshops, timber storage facilities, fencing, toilets, boreholes, changing rooms and shipping containers.
The operators have been directed to vacate the premises within 48 hours, failing which the council says it will institute enforcement measures.
“You are advised to vacate within 48 hours. Wherefore, if you fail to comply with this notice, steps will be taken by council or by its appointed agents to carry out an enforcement action against the illegal developments and home industry,” read one of the notices.
The development has unsettled operators at the home industry, many of whom claim they have occupied the site for several years while paying rentals and other charges to the City of Harare.
The affected traders are appealing for an audience with the local authority.
“We have been paying council charges and conducting our businesses here for years,” said one operator.
“We are surprised to receive eviction notices without prior engagement. We only ask that council meets us so that we can find an amicable solution.”
Another operator said the workshops sustain hundreds of families through employment and the provision of essential services.
“Our businesses support many households and employ young people. If the evictions proceed, many families will lose their only source of income,” he said.
The operators also contend that the proposed evictions could negatively affect the growth of the small and medium enterprises sector, which Government has identified as a key pillar in the country’s industrialisation drive and economic transformation agenda under Vision 2030.
The Kuwadzana 1 Home Industry is home to businesses involved in carpentry, metal fabrication, engineering, motor vehicle repairs, welding and other manufacturing activities that serve communities across Harare.
Contacted for comment, City of Harare Small and Medium Enterprises Committee chairperson, Councillor Denford Ngadziore, said the committee had not resolved to evict the operators and that he would seek clarification from the relevant departments.
“I do not have much information at the moment. I will have to verify with our Legal Department and the Markets Division, but as a committee we have no such resolution to evict anyone,” said Cllr Ngadziore.
His remarks suggest that the committee responsible for small and medium enterprises is yet to receive full details surrounding the enforcement action.
The latest development comes as the City of Harare continues implementing measures aimed at enforcing compliance with urban planning regulations and addressing unauthorised developments across the capital.
However, stakeholders say any enforcement exercise should be accompanied by adequate consultation to ensure that urban planning objectives are balanced with the need to protect livelihoods and sustain economic activity.
As the deadline approaches, uncertainty continues to grip the Kuwadzana 1 Home Industry, with operators hoping the local authority will engage them before any enforcement action is undertaken.
