Harare Residents Demand Clarity On Cluster Housing Policy Consultation

Harare residents have petitioned the Harare City Council (HCC) for clarification on the local authority’s purpose in conducting a Consultative Meeting on the Cluster Housing Policy Formulation.

The petition, initiated on August 18 and submitted on August 20, 2024, was put forth by the Ratepayers and Residents of Mount Pleasant, Groombridge, Arundel, Northwood, Vainona, Pomona—areas encompassing Wards 17 and 19—and nearby suburbs. Below is the petition in full:

The Harare City Council (HCC) has invited residents to a Consultative Meeting on Cluster Housing Policy Formulation on 20 August 2024.

We, the Ratepayers and Residents of Mount Pleasant, Groombridge, Arundel, Northwood, Vainona, Pomona (all forming parts of Wards 17 and 19), and the surrounding suburbs, submit as follows:

1.   Preliminary

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The Harare City Council must explain why they are carrying out this Consultative Meeting as we are concerned that it is just a ‘tick-box’ exercise. 

In December 2023 https://www.suburban.co.zw/council-cluster-houses-policy-rejected/ HCC had a consultation meeting with residents of Wards 17 and 19 on their new cluster housing policy which the residents rejected on the grounds that HCC must first upgrade existing infrastructure including sewer, water and road infrastructures as well as social amenities, EG schools and clinics, to cater for an increasing population. 

However, we have observed that HCC has continued to approve many new cluster developments in Wards 17 and 19 without taking into account our previously expressed concerns. As residents, we are therefore suspicious that this is just another ‘tick-box’ exercise for HCC to be able to record that they have consulted with residents but they will just continue with the adoption and implementation of a policy which does not take into account our concerns. 

2.   Objections to Current HCC Cluster Development Policy:

There are rules and regulations as stipulated in the relevant statutes and legislations that need to be adhered to when public/government or private developers build new housing clusters, some of which are included in the Regional Town and Country Planning Act (RTCP Act), Chapter 29:12 of 1976; the Urban Councils Act (Chapter 29:15); the Housing and Building Act (Chapter 22:07). They interact with the other sector-specific statutes and legislation for roads, water, building bylaws etc.

As ratepayers and residents, we are concerned at the manner in which HCC has continued to recklessly approve densification and cluster developments with no guidelines and no concern for, or interests, on behalf of residents on the following grounds:

(a) Character of our suburbs – Our suburbs are low density suburbs. As ratepayers and residents we want them to remain low density. We don’t WANT to live in a high or medium density suburb and our views must be respected. HCC and the Government are aware that Harare is already overloaded, in all respects, but the solution is not to pile in more people onto existing antiquated and dilapidated infrastructure without upgrading it first.  At the rate COH is operating, it can take weeks, months, years to get a broken water pipe repaired never mind an upgrade on an entire sewer system.  Despite all this, it is unfair to force residents, who have invested a lot of money for the privileged of living in a quiet, low density suburb to live in a higher density suburb which will cause property devaluation.

HCC is aware that there are not enough amenities in the existing areas to hold a greater population. Perhaps the answer is to create a medium/high density, cluster home type residential area out of the current city towards the area of “The New City”.  

(b) Sewer lines – The existing sewer systems are not designed to cope with numbers beyond what they were designed to carry when built many years ago. HCC has not upgraded any current sewer lines in our neighborhoods and yet they have approved cluster home developments such as the one under construction at the corner of The Chase and Pendennis Roads where HCC has connected the development to the existing sewer line which was already not coping with the existing population. The result will be burst sewer lines, which has already happened in parts of the neighborhood, and this can cause catastrophic health issues, such as a cholera outbreak as this raw sewerage can leach into our underground water supplies which most residents rely on.

(c) No water   – HCC has not upgraded the water supply system, which is unable to cope with the existing population since its inception. HCC water supply to our neighborhood (and all over Harare), is erratic and some areas have not received water for over 20 years. The residents that are fortunate enough to receive HCC water receive erratic supply, perhaps only once or twice a month and, due to lack of efficient chemical treatments, the water may not be correctly treated at source which can result in disease outbreaks such as cholera and typhoid. Many of us have resorted to relying on our drying up boreholes (which are drying up due to the excessive amount of boreholes drilled in the suburbs), while others have resorted to begging for water from a neighbor or buying from bulk water delivery companies whilst still being billed by HCC for nonexistent water supply. 

(d) Boreholes – Boreholes are having to be re-bored to greater depths in order to reach the water below. More and more boreholes are drilled daily to replace the lack of water delivery from HCC.  In addition, HCC is giving out land to developers to build on wetlands, further destroying the water table and polluting our river systems.  Bulk water transporters are delivering vast quantities of water to residents all over Harare, thus destroying our water tables even further.

“If water is not extracted through a well in a sustainable manner, the water table may drop permanently. This is starting to be the case around the world. Some of the largest sources of groundwater are being depleted in India, China, and the United States to the point where they cannot be replenished. Groundwater depletion occurs when the rate of groundwater extraction through wells is higher than the rate of replenishment from precipitation.” 

Information sourced from: https://education.nationalgeographic.org/resource/water-table/

(e) Roads – our roads are congested enough as they are. Adding on further population will congest them even more, particularly when 10 cluster homes are built on a small acreage with 5 people living in each cluster home. This will add on an estimated 30 vehicles on that particular road, daily. 

(f)  Amenities – the existing amenities which were built many years ago in the low density areas, are already overloaded.  With an ever expanding population, the necessary amenities must also be developed such as schools and sports fields, hospitals, clinics, gyms, shopping centers open spaces, sports clubs (all with adequate parking), etc. etc.  This cannot be done when there is already no space.

(g) Noise pollution – the added number of people in the suburbs will increase the noise pollution from many aspects.

(h) Crime –  an increase in crime rate can result due to the increased population.

3.   Recommendations for HCC Cluster Development Policy 

    We recommend that HCC must include the following in the cluster development policy:

(a) Views of current ratepayers and residents – Preferably, respect the wishes of current residents who have paid a lot of money to live in a low density area and don’t build more clusters in the existing low density suburbs.  HCC must preferably, create an area out of the current city to house cluster developments and provide amenities and facilities to go with them. “Cluster housing” is just a term used to get away from what the obvious is which is Densification.

(b) Upgrade existing infrastructure – It is a basic human right for residents to be provided with water, sewerage, adequate schooling, electricity etc.

(c) Moratorium on approvals for cluster developments – HCC must put an immediate moratorium on approvals of new cluster developments until they have ungraded existing water, sewer and road infrastructure, as well as making provision for more social amenities such as schools and clinics. As we know, there are no more open spaces available for this.  

(d) Guidelines – In our view, HCC has been reckless in approvals for designs of cluster developments, including in Closes, on wetlands, and also developments above two stories which results in the privacy of neighbours being invaded. HCC must develop guidelines on the types of existing roads where clusters can be built. (E.g. a cluster should not be approved for development in a Close), on a wetland, or above 2 stories under any circumstances.  HCC should also stipulate the size of stand that can be densified e.g. we do not believe that a stand size of less than 5000m2 should be approved for cluster developments.  The number of houses in the cluster development must also be considered.

(e) Moratorium on change of use application – HCC must put an immediate moratorium on all change of use applications from residential to another use until order is brought to the current chaos and they have put in place Guidelines that also take the concerns and needs of current residents into account. 

(f)  Increased scrutiny of change of use application – As ratepayers and residents we are also concerned about how Council approves change of use applications. There does not appear to be any scrutiny or due diligence. The Council sub-committees just sit and recommend change of use applications, and the motions are then very quickly passed in the full Council with no in-depth discussions and scrutiny. This must change. 

(g) Change in advertisement of change of use applications – as ratepayers and residents we also request that every change of use application should not just be published in the Herald or another newspaper. We request that these are uploaded to an online accessible Council site as well as the WhatsApp forums of ratepayers and resident’s associations. 

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