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Blessings Chidakwa-Herald Reporter

The horrific death of a young woman under a barrage of bricks, debris, dust, iron, and whatnot following the collapse of a building on whose pavement she had sought shelter from a hailstorm last week, has not only left residents in grief and fear, but brings the quality of buildings in the central business district of Harare into scrutiny.

Six other people were left nursing injuries of varying degrees, while three vehicles parked in the vicinity were damaged when the decrepit building at the intersection of Chinhoyi and Bank streets gave in to the vagaries of time and neglect.

Walking along pavements, working and seeking shelter in most buildings in Harare is slowly becoming a nightmare. 

They evoke feelings of dark entrapment, merely by looking at them.

To call them death-traps is an understatement. They have become dungeons waiting to consume whoever happens to be within reach — in a way, rendering everyone, even passers-by, prey.

A tree grows on the balcony of Barts House along Jason Moyo Avenue.

Something needs to give in if sanity is to return to the capital, particularly when it comes to issues to do with reliving the heydays when Harare was the place to be — the once-famed “Sunshine City.”

Only recently, officials at Town House read the riot act to property owners, giving them a two-week ultimatum to spruce up or regenerate their run-down buildings. 

While this may be sweet music to the ears of residents, past experiences recall that the city authorities have always been all bark and no bite.

A look around reveals that some buildings in Harare have outlived their lifespans, having been built over a century ago; hence, they need to be demolished. Since their construction in the early days of colonialism, little or no attempt has been made to give them a facelift.

For Harare to return to its days of glory, the mess at Town House has to be cleaned first, before property owners and occupants of sagging buildings creating an eyesore in the CBD and beyond, are shipped out.

Change is a behavioural trait steeped in attitude. It cannot be overemphasised that enforcement has an expiry date, which, in the case of the ultimatum given to property owners by the Harare City Council, is inscribed on a malfunctioning clock at Town House.

It is in the public domain that disaster looms at Town House as the basement has been flooded with water seeping through from an underground stream that flows under Julius Nyerere Way.

The city’s historical documents archived there for decades, risk being destroyed as the entire basement has been flooded.

The situation is so dire that Zesa has ordered the local authority to switch off power to avoid a possible fire outbreak.

The dilapidated stairway of Manica House, which houses shopping malls, along Robert Mugabe Road.

Therefore, the buck stops with the city fathers. If the dream of regeneration of buildings is to be realised in Harare, it has to start at Town House. What is playing out at the authorities’ abode is reflective of the quality of buildings in the capital city.

A walkabout by The Herald yesterday revealed that some buildings require urgent renovations, while others should be immediately closed. Among them, several are along Robert Mugabe Way, Fidel Castro Road and Bank Street.

Coronation House, along Bank Street, is in a sorry state, typifying the misery and neglect at the heart of the city, also embodied in Store Brothers’ building along Robert Mugabe Way.

It is not out of malice, nor is it deliberate to single out the buildings as among the worst the city has to offer, but they are a reflection of what disaster means if allowed to ferment.

There are no sacred cows when it comes to the sanctity of life. While chances may be lost and recovered in some cases, life gives humanity one chance.

What remains to be seen is which direction events would take when the two-week ultimatum on dilapidated buildings lapses in a week.

Finding recourse in the law, the council said the move is in line with Section 49 (1) of Chapter 2 of the Model Building By-Laws (1977).

City of Harare chamber secretary, Mr Warren Chiwawa, who is in charge of drafting city by-laws, referred all questions to the town clerk.

Harare town clerk, Engineer Hosiah Chisango, gave property owners two weeks to comply with the directive, failure of which would result in the undertaking of enforcement measures.

“The City of Harare is hereby giving notice to all property owners and occupants of buildings in the Central Business District (CBD), and those outside the CBD, to renew or regenerate their buildings and/or properties either through repairs, refurbishments and/or repainting,” he said.

In terms of Section 49 (1) Chapter 2 of the Model Building By-Laws (1977), the status of some buildings/properties contravenes the requirements, which state that:

“No person shall allow any building constructed upon premises of which he is the owner or occupier to become (a) a danger to the health of persons occupying or using the building, or to the health of the public; or (b) the source of unpleasant fumes, smoke or odours; or (c) unsightly or a disfigurement to the neighbourhood.

Another decaying building at the corner of Robson Manyika Avenue and Kavalamanja Battle Street (formerly Orr Street).

“Or (d) in any other way offensive or embarrassing to the people living or working upon the premises or in the neighbourhood,” added the town clerk.

This crackdown, Eng Chisango said, sought to improve the overall aesthetics and safety of buildings in Harare. Residents can expect to see a revitalisation of the city as property owners bring their structures up to the code.

“Accordingly, all property owners and occupants of buildings in the areas stated above are requested to comply with the aforesaid by-laws or submit written representations in connection with this matter within two weeks of this public notice, to the Director of Works, Cleveland House, 92 Leopold Takawira Street, falling which council shall apply the requirements of Section 56 (subsections 1-6) of the said by-laws to enforce compliance,” said Eng Chisango.

Combined Harare Residents Association director, Mr Rueben Akili, said this is not the first time the local authority has set out the rules for rehabilitation of buildings, but nothing came out of it. 

“The local authority has been reluctant to act, because it also owns buildings that also need rehabilitation and sprucing up. 

“For example, Mbare, Matapi and Shawasha flats belong to the Harare City Council, and they also require a facelift,” said Mr Akili.

He highlighted that halls owned by the local authority in high-density suburbs like Tafara and Glen Norah, for example, are in bad shape, with ceilings breaking up.

“It becomes problematic for the city fathers to enforce compliance when they are also complicit,” he said. “So, we call upon the council to take this issue seriously, aware that charity begins at home.”