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Innocent Ruwende Senior Reporter
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo has urged Harare City Council and its satellite towns to come up with a combined master plan to collectively solve challenges affecting the metropolitan region.

Local authorities that constitute the Harare Combination Master Plan Authority are Harare City Council, Chitungwiza Town Council, Goromonzi Rural District Council, Norton Town Council, Ruwa Town Council, Mazowe Rural District Council, Zvimba Rural District Council and Manyame Rural District Council.

Issues such as transportation, pollution abatement, water and sewer management, development of trunk infrastructure and housing, said Minister Moyo, could be best solved by a combined master plan.

In a speech read on his behalf by the principal director (urban local authorities) Ms Erica Jones at the Harare Master Plan Preparation Inception Conference on Monday, Minister Moyo said he was disappointed that Harare was going it alone.

“My only disappointment is that you and neighbouring local authorities have failed to embark on the exercise together.

“There are very good reasons why the ministry would encourage a Combination Master Plan approach, I hope by going it alone, you have left room for serious consultations and negotiations with neighbouring local authorities to devise solutions that benefit not only the city but the region as a whole.

“I cannot overemphasise the importance of putting deliverables to a policy document such as this one. (Harare Master Plan) lest they degenerate into mere academic research with no relevance to our local and national development agenda in spite of huge investments in terms of time, effort and money.”

Minister Moyo said he expected the capital to come up with a strategic implementation programme, which clearly defines policy objectives together with actionable and time framed programmes with listed individuals who will be accountable.

Acting town clerk Engineer Hosiah Chisango said the Harare Combination Master Plan, which became operational in 1994, was 24 years old hence the urgent need to review it in order to align the policy instruments contained therein to the dictates of the obtaining socio, economic and political environment in the Greater Harare Area.

“Achievements from the Combination Master include developments such as Westgate, Tynwald suburbs, which have totally changed the face of the city,” he said. “However, more work still needs to be done in the Southern parts of the city to make the developed areas and settlements self-sufficient, healthy and sustainable.

“The preparation of the Master Plan is expected to cost $350 000 and work will be done over a period of 18 months. The city shall also partner with specialist service providers/consultants, for example the traffic study, but will carry out most of the work.”

Minister Moyo said the Harare Master Plan will take into cognisance infrastructural development, housing and social services, industrial and commercial development, natural environmental maintenance and preservation and a comprehensive traffic master plan.

Eng Chisango said the master plan was a visionary and strategic document that will serve the physical development and growth of the city for the next 20 years.

“It shall embrace the emerging economic sectors and marry them to the formal way of doing business,” he said.

“It shall set the pace for orderly development, harmonise and coordinate planning action as well as infuse a uniform and standardised application of development parameters for the city.”