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Category: Residential Property

  • Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association hands over community project

    MEMBERS of the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) scored a first yesterday when they officially handed over community projects to Harare City Council at a colourful function yesterday.

    BRRA handed over the Helenvale business centre bus stop shelter and garden, a waste separation centre and the renovated Borrowdale Clinic.

    Speaking at the ceremony, BRRA chairperson Robert Mutyasira said the residents intended to construct for the country a world-class community recreation centre with facilities that allow locals to showcase their abilities and energy.

    “As you may be aware, most of the recreational facilities in this ward are privately owned and have restricted access, leaving the bulk of our residents, especially the youth, with nowhere to unleash their energy and agility, thus exposing them to inappropriate engagements and activities,” he said.

    “This is not a beginning, but a continuation of a preceding culture of community co-operation and resilience that we have holistically inherited and embraced.”

    Mutyasira said community development contributed to the general national development.

    “It is those aspirations that we have seen as our goal, the pleasure that others may be enjoying while we work tirelessly, committing resources, time, expertise and unwavering dedication to a worthy cause,” he said.

    “Community development precedes national development. It is the more than necessary building block in the transformation of the entire nation.

    “The bus stop perimeter fence is 80% complete and more beautification ideas and lighting are pending. All these developments will require day-to-day maintenance.

    “At this juncture, I wish to make it known to all of us that for 2025, we have once again taken up another ambitious challenge.”

    In a speech read on his behalf by councillor Stanley Manyenga, Harare mayor Jacob Mafume applauded the collaboration between council and BRRA.

    “The BRRA has shown a new and effective way forward, it has not been just an association of home owners, it has been a development partner,” he said.

    “The council’s role is to plan, regulate and provide the framework for progress and have the technical aspect, that institutional capacity, but you the residents have the on the ground knowledge and community spirit,” he added.

    Meanwhile, Harare Provincial Affairs and Devolution minister Charles Tawengwa, in a speech read on his behalf by the director for infrastructure planning and environmental management in his office, Engineer Herbert Parichi, applauded BRRA for setting an example for other communities.

    “What has been done by BRRA comes to us as a learning platform to those who have not started yet and also to our government ministries, departments and agencies we should keep in support of such initiatives,” he said. —NewsDay

  • Fake Panels: Solar Scam Costs Homeowners Thousands

    THE soaring demand for solar products, whose prices have been progressively declining over the past decade owing to technological advances and globalised manufacturing, has led to a concomitant influx of imports, including that of counterfeit products.

    As locals adopt climate-friendly practices such as irrigation and use of renewable energy, investments in solar panels, batteries, inverters, water pumps and lighting systems have exponentially increased.

    Unfortunately, unscrupulous dealers are capitalising on the trend by selling poor-quality and counterfeit products to gullible consumers — many of whom lack the technical knowledge to identify fakes or legal protection in such matters.

    Some shops in downtown Harare7, particularly along Kwame Nkrumah Avenue and Julius Nyerere Way, as well as the Gulf Complex, have become the epicentre of this illicit trade.

    The situation is worsened by the widespread use of unqualified and uncertified technicians for solar installations.

    In some instances, the combination of poor workmanship and fake products is having catastrophic outcomes.

    “I bought a 1kVA home solar system from a shop advertising on social media. Instead of improving my life, it brought endless problems,” said Edmore Maredza, a recent victim.

    “The battery would not charge properly and the system eventually caught fire — likely due to poor connections. If we had not been home, the entire house could have burnt down.”

     

    The counterfeit trick

    Investigations reveal that many products — especially inverters, bulbs and batteries — are either counterfeit or deliberately mislabelled.

    Some importers rebrand low-wattage panels to inflate their value.

    For example, a 20W panel may be stripped of its original markings and sold as a 40W unit at a higher price.

    Several companies operating in Harare and other parts of the country have been repeatedly red-flagged for selling faulty or mislabelled equipment.

    Some briefcase dealers also operate from flea markets in Mbare and along Seke Road.

    “This is a classic case of consumer deception,” noted Dr Farai Mandizha, an independent energy consultant.

    “When a panel marked 100W only produces 60W, the customer is robbed twice — first financially, then in performance. It undermines trust in solar energy.”

    According to a South Africa-based legal firm specialising in anti-counterfeiting and intellectual property, the issue is widespread across Africa.

     

    Regulation

    The Zimbabwe Energy Regulatory Authority (ZERA) has issued warnings on the dangers of counterfeit solar products; they can cause system failures, shorten battery lifespans and pose serious safety risks.

    The authority has launched crackdowns and urged consumers to verify genuine products by checking for engraved power ratings — rather than relying on removable stickers.

    ZERA chief executive officer Edington Mazambani said the regulator is now conducting regular on-site inspections to identify and remove counterfeit solar products from the market.

    “Our initiative aims to ensure that only genuine and reliable solar products reach consumers,” he said.

    The regulator has linked substandard panels and poor installations to a rise in electrical faults.

    Official statistics show that at least 27 deaths were reported from more than 200 electrical accident notifications last year, while 45 fatalities from electrical incidents were recorded in 2023.

    However, the figures could be much higher as some of the cases go unreported.

    To address the growing crisis, the Government is working on a comprehensive regulatory framework for the rapidly expanding solar energy sector, which is largely unregulated.

    The proposed rules — Energy (Solar Products and Installation) Regulations — are aimed at ensuring safe, high-quality solar energy production.

     

    Victims

    In Mufakose, shop owner Tawanda Moyo invested US$600 in a solar setup for his store.

    “Within weeks, the inverter failed and the batteries stopped charging. The dealer refused to honour a warranty, saying the product was imported voetstoots (as is). I had no choice but to buy new equipment,” he said.

    In Glen View, a small business owner lost nearly US$500 when his solar batteries failed after just three months.

    “When I returned to the shop, the dealer had vanished.”

    Such stories are now common across Harare.

    Experts warn that distinguishing genuine products from fakes is difficult.

    Authentic LED bulbs take two to three seconds to light up, while counterfeits switch on instantly.

    But in a market desperate for affordable solutions, many consumers overlook these signs.

    Most counterfeit products are imported from China, India, Indonesia, Thailand, Dubai, Taiwan and African countries like South Africa and Nigeria.

    Some shipments arrive disguised as “household electricals”, thus end up skipping the necessary checks at ports of entry.

    The unchecked inflow of counterfeits, Professor Milton Hare, an energy economist at the University of Zimbabwe, warns, threatens to hurt local industries.

    “Manufacturers spend millions on research, quality control and compliance. Counterfeits kill innovation and drive legitimate players out of the market. In the long run, it is the economy that suffers,” he argued.

     

    Price war

    The rise of briefcase dealers has triggered a brutal price war among traders.

    While certified companies charge more for quality products, counterfeit dealers lure buyers with very low prices.

    For desperate families, the gamble often ends in disappointment.

    “People are literally buying darkness in a box,” said a downtown trader who opted not to be named.

    Globally, counterfeiting costs companies an estimated US$630 billion annually

    In Zimbabwe, the problem threatens to derail the Government’s renewable energy agenda, which aims to increase solar adoption as a sustainable solution to the power crisis.

    Experts warn, unless the authorities tighten border checks, enforce tougher penalties and educate consumers on solar equipment, the country risks turning solar energy into a failed promise. —Zimpapers CheckPoint

     

     

  • Harare’s Controversial Cluster Housing Boom Triggers Anger

    MIRIAM MANGWAYA HARARE —HARARE City Council (HCC) is under growing legal pressure over its controversial approval of cluster housing projects, with a series of High Court cases exposing alleged corruption, procedural irregularities, and backdoor land deals in the capital’s upmarket suburbs.

    The local authority is at loggerheads with residents who are rejecting the construction of cluster houses, fearing that the development will transform the once elitist neighbourhoods into densely populated areas, eroding their elite status.

    The projects, which Harare says are under the local authority’s adopted densification policy, are currently underway in posh suburbs like Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant, Chisipite, Greendale, and Highlands, among others, with massive constructions already in progress. Truth Diggers, an Alpha Media Holdings investigative unit, in partnership with Information for Development Trust, a non-profit organisation supporting investigative reporting, observed that property developments are underway on plots measuring from 2000 square meters.

    Residents have expressed concern about dozens of classified adverts in local newspapers with notices of land acquisitions and construction permits, many of them for high-density housing projects that they claim are in contrast with the area’s low-rise, single-family nature.

    Legal experts say most of the ongoing disputes stem from alleged violations of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act (Chapter 29:12), particularly Section 19, which provides for public objections to proposed land developments.

    The section stipulates that local authorities must give reasonable public notice and allow affected residents an opportunity to raise objections before approving land development projects. Residents argue that the Harare City Council and land developers are bypassing these procedures.

    Residents argue that while the development will bring more housing, it also means a significant population increase, yet there is no corresponding plan to improve utilities and infrastructure, such as roads, water, and electricity, which they fear will exacerbate existing challenges and further strain resources.

    Cluster homes under development in Harare’s upmarket suburb of Vainona (Borrowdale West) Newly developed cluster homes in Harare’s leafy suburb of Mount Pleasant Court battles mount over cluster housing and urban development projects.

    The city’s aggressive push for densification and commercial redevelopment has increasingly found itself under legal fire, as residents and take both developers and the Harare City Council to court for allegedly violating planning laws and threatening neighbourhood status. In the latest blow to the city’s urban planning department, High Court Judge Justice Paul Musithu on April 4, 2025 declared unlawful a cluster housing project in Greystone Park, ruling that the developer, Dashway Investments, had commenced construction without an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) certificate or Development Permit. The High Court prohibited any further development at Stand 663 Greystone Park Township 8 (7 Sudley Close), citing breaches of planning regulations, following objections by the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA). City of Harare, the Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and the developer Dashway Investments were cited as respondents.

    In another case ongoing case, the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association filed another urgent chamber application at the High Court in June 2024 to stop the construction of cluster flats at Number 949 Sugar Loaf Township, Glen Lorne. The application was filed against businessman Leonard Mukumba, who is reportedly building three blocks of flats designed to house eight families each. BRRA members argued that the project violated the area’s low-density residential zoning and was proceeding without adequate consultation or environmental impact assessments.

    In a separate but related legal challenge, Trauma Centre Hospital, one of Harare’s leading emergency medical institutions, approached the High Court to stop a controversial office park project in Borrowdale, alleging that it endangers public safety and patient well-being. Filed under a certificate of urgency, the application — brought by a medical doctor Vivek Solanki, representing Vislink (Pvt) Ltd, trading as Trauma Centre — and local resident Penelope Beattie challenges a permit issued to Condev Property Developers by the City of Harare’s director of urban planning. Solanki argued that the approved development plans differed from those previously submitted and threaten to deteriorate the residential character of the neighbourhood. “I submit that it is clear from the plan attached to the permit that it differs substantially from the plan approved by the 3rd Respondent on the 7th May 2025,” he said in his founding affidavit. He added: “The Respondents have supplied no proof that the owner of the property, the fourth respondent- Andrew Herbst, has consented to this development as is peremptory in terms of the Planning Act section 26 ( 1). I submit that there is no proof at all of 4th Respondent’s consent and it is clear that it does not exist. I am informed and verily believe that in the circumstances it was rational and grossly unreasonable of the 2nd and 3rd respondents to grant a permit in the circumstances particularly when the application was fatally deficient and non-compliant with the peremptory provisions of the Planning Act. Ignored petitions Dozens of petitions have been submitted to Harare City Council (HCC) challenging illegal cluster developments, but residents say the city has turned a deaf ear, prompting fears of bias and backdoor deals.

    In one of the several petitions, residents of Inverary Road in Pomona submitted a written petition to HCC objecting to the construction of seven duplex cluster units on Stand 104, citing lack of legal notification and procedural irregularities. “None of the neighbours received any formal communication, hence our conclusion that the petition has been issued out irregularly as this step appears to have been overlooked, ”reads the petition, dated January 23, 2025 which was signed by affected homeowners. However, in a response dated 3 February 2025, HCC acting director of urban planning, Samuel Nyabezi, upheld the permit approval. He however made no mention of the required neighbour notifications, nor addressed the residents’ main concerns. This pattern, residents say, was a systematic disregard for due process, where objections are acknowledged only to be dismissed further fuelling suspicions of irregular approvals and policy abuse.

    Letter from Pomona residents to the City of Harare’s Acting Director of Urban Planning, Samuel Nyabezi, protesting an “irregular development permit” for cluster units at Stand 104 Pomona Estate

     

    City of Harare planner Samuel Nyabezi insists the permit for seven duplex cluster units at Lot 104 Pomona Estate was lawfully issued under existing regulations Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association Robert Mutyasira expressd worry over absence of corresponding provision of services to cater for the increased populations in the neighbourhoods. “The issuance of permits to developers is questionable, as evidenced by recent discoveries, some of which have led residents to instruct litigation or lobby for enforcement action,” Mutyasira said. “The recent such action on a property at the intersection of Harare Drive and Leamington Road in Greystone Park, where an industrial structure was illegally constructed to operating level without following due process, has unearthed a disturbing trend of the local authority’s employees who shield illegalities.

    Development Control officers and building inspectors have become a law unto themselves by overriding procedure and exceeding their mandates of duty.”

    No fixed house targets under densification

    In a written response to Truth Diggers, Harare City Council defended the cluster housing boom, claiming it is part of a long-term densification strategy aimed at addressing a 500 000-unit housing shortfall. The local authority acknowledged awarding permits to what it called a “huge list of private players” but refused to grant Truth Diggers access to the registry of approved developers. “Cluster houses are targeting everyone who can afford because they are provided by private players who are into business and investment,” acting town clerk Phakamile Mabhena Moyo said.

    “There is no specific number of houses targeted because cluster housing development is demand driven. In addition, every property owner enjoys their property ownership, if they decide to apply for cluster houses they can, and if they not willing apply to for cluster houses, we do not force.” The local authority dismissed corruption allegations, insisting that private developers are complementing council efforts. Moyo also admitted receiving complaints from residents, which he described as a mix of “genuine” and “not genuine” concerns, but did not outline any action taken in response. But the council said there is no fixed target for the number of housing units to be built under the densification programme, raising questions about the absence of measurable planning benchmarks or transparency mechanisms. Densification for whom? While city authorities defend the densification programme as a long-term solution to Zimbabwe’s urban housing crisis, aiming to decongest overcrowded high-density suburbs, residents argue the policy has been hijacked by profit-driven developers. Council officials had originally sold the densification blueprint as a social intervention to address housing shortages and provide affordable homes to those on the city’s ballooning waiting list.

    Ongoing construction of a cluster homes in Pomona, Harare In an interview with Truth Diggers, Harare City Council mayor Jacob Mafume defended the densification policy saying it was crucial to address the housing crisis that the city was facing. “This policy for densification requires that we reduce the area sizes of land, which means we encourage the building of flats, encourage the building of cluster homes, and look at space in a less expansive manner,”Mafume said. “Colonial style yards where a person could fill a basketball court, a swimming pool, a football pitch in their own yard would be difficult to sustain in an urban environment.” But in practice, the projects have nothing to do with affordability or public housing, critics say. Properties in these new cluster developments are being sold at premium prices, often from of US$150,000 to US$400,000 per unit, far beyond the reach of ordinary home seekers. With no quota reserved for those on the municipal housing list and a willing-buyer, willing-seller model dominating the market, residents accuse the council of using a pro-poor policy to mask elite land deals, with city officials allegedly facilitating access for well-connected foreign and local investors.

    Resident mobilise to resist cluster house boom The proliferation of cluster housing projects has triggered a wave of civic mobilisation, with residents forming dozens of hyper-local associations — some representing just a single street or small group of households — to challenge what they describe as irregular and opaque developments. In areas like Borrowdale, Greendale, Mt Pleasant and Highlands, these micro-associations have emerged as community watchdogs, filing petitions, demanding planning transparency, and in some cases, initiating legal action against Harare City Council. One such group, the Montgomery Road and Surrounds Residents’ Association (MRASRA), was created specifically to oppose the surge of cluster housing projects along their street. “We had no choice but to organise at street level because the city is no longer protecting our interests,” said a resident.

    The rise of these grassroots bodies reflects a mistrust in municipal processes and a shift toward neighbourhood-led resistance as residents attempt to reclaim oversight of their communities. The residents also challenge the council’s reference to the Borrowdale Local Development Plan which they claim was passed under questionable conditions during COVID lockdowns. They allege the Plan is being used to justify contested developments, yet they did not contribute to its The irregularities surrounding cluster housing projects have also come under scrutiny at official levels.

    During testimony before the Harare Commission of Inquiry, a former City Council earlier this year housing director Admore Nhekairo expressed shock at the proliferation of cluster houses, revealing that the municipality had not allocated any land for cluster housing development in the past seven years. “There has been no official municipal land allocation for such projects during my tenure,” he told the commission.

    Nhekairo’s testimony triggered concerns that the current wave of developments was being driven by private land deals and speculative approvals, with no alignment to council’s official housing policy. —AMH