Harare City Council Demolition Blitz Targets Over 5,000 Homes
Thousands of families and tens of thousands of small and medium-sized businesses risk losing their properties as Harare intensifies its crackdown on land invasions.
Black News 
The affected structures occupy open spaces, farms, wetlands, vleis, and sites reserved for schools or clinics.
A Harare City Council task force has surveyed 22,255 sites. Authorities warn that structures built on prohibited or protected land will not be spared in the forthcoming blitz.
Several properties in Harare South, Whitecliff and other areas have already been demolished, leaving many families homeless.
Affected businesses have lost goods worth thousands of US dollars after allegedly ignoring repeated warnings from authorities.
According to the town clerk’s report on the regularisation and demolition of illegal structures, further clearances are planned for parts of Greendale, Belvedere, Budiriro, Kuwadzana and Mabvuku.
Other targeted areas include Glen View, Mabelreign, Tynwald, Crowborough, Chisipite, Glen Lorne, Southlea Park, Hopley, Mainway Meadows, Tafara and Hatcliffe.
The report says the council is targeting illegal settlements linked to land barons, politically connected individuals and organised groups occupying land set aside for public facilities or environmental protection.
“Well-organised and coordinated rampant land invasions, fueled by politicians across the political divide, land barons, and general invaders, intensified around August 2023,” reads the report.
In some cases, invaders have occupied land already allocated or leased to other beneficiaries, while the rightful allottees follow due process for infrastructure development before taking possession.
“Such invaders occupy the land illegally, anticipating regularisation. All these illegal developments shall be demolished,” the report said.
The report added that some invaders use documents with scanned or forged signatures, including offer letters, agreements of sale and title deeds.
This is reportedly common in medium- and low-density areas. It said all suspected forgeries are being reported to the Zimbabwe Republic Police, and illegal developments will be demolished following due process.
“A clear message is being sent to all land barons that the council will not tolerate lawlessness or the abuse of the Co-operative Act and the Parallel Development Concept by politically connected individuals and elites who invade council and government land,” the report said.
The town clerk’s report clarified that the regularisation exercise excludes settlements on environmentally sensitive areas such as wetlands, heritage sites, school sites and recreational centres, as well as any invasions after the 24 September 2023 cut-off date.
More than 5,000 houses in high-density suburbs are set for demolition under 37 High Court orders, alongside structures in more than 40 “illegal” cooperatives.
In Mabelreign and surrounding low-density areas, including Meyrick Park, Sentosa and Madokero, 67 structures are slated for demolition.
At the Glen View 8 complex, structures along Willowvale Road will not be spared, and about 200 properties built along the Harare Drive expansion route will also be razed. Greendale and Amby Township will see 45 and 13 illegal stands demolished, respectively.
