By Agencies
Fear, panic, and deep socio-economic uncertainty have gripped the city of Gweru as residents face a stringent 48-hour ultimatum from municipal authorities to demolish structures deemed illegal or suffer forced destructions at their own financial expense.
The sweeping enforcement exercise, spearheaded under the banner of Operation Chenesa Gweru, targets unauthorised developments erected on road reserves, designated open spaces, public utility sites, and unapproved residential areas across the city.
Affected property owners have been receiving formal municipal notices giving them two days to self-demolish, failing which local authority work crews will execute the demolitions and bill the owners for operational costs.
Gweru Mayor Councillor Martin Chivhoko defended the aggressive campaign during a full council meeting, framing the crackdown as a vital urban management initiative designed to enforce municipal planning standards.
“This operation is not a war on livelihoods. It is a necessary intervention to ensure order, to protect public health, and to reclaim spaces that belong to everyone,” Chivhoko asserted, adding that informal traders evicted from non-designated zones would be offered alternative spaces at approved municipal markets.
However, the operation has provoked fierce pushback from resident advocacy groups and civic organisations, who accuse the city council of heavy-handedness and enforcing outdated colonial-era regulations against a vulnerable populace navigating severe economic hardships.
Gweru United Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Development Association (GUPRARDA) Executive Director David Chikore condemned municipal officers for targeting private residential properties, particularly focusing on the enforcement against JoJo water storage tanks installed in high-density suburbs such as Mkoba and Senga. Chikore pointed out that residents were forced to invest in private water storage as a direct consequence of persistent municipal water supply failures.
“What crime have JoJo tanks committed that they have to be demolished in people’s yards in Senga and Mkoba? Have you asked yourselves why residents have these tanks?” Chikore questioned. “Forty-six years into independence, you are enforcing 1972 by-laws formulated during the colonial era, designed to restrict black people from living in urban areas. Why are you fighting your own people when the country has a high rate of unemployment?”
Chikore highlighted that communities are already contending with collapsing municipal infrastructure, including unpaved roads, dysfunctional drainage, persistent sewage spills, and non-operational street lighting.
Echoing these concerns, Gweru United Residents Association (GURA) Director Reward Mhuri called on municipal authorities to adopt a differentiated strategy by separating commercial encroachments on public land from residential developments erected within private boundary walls. Mhuri urged the local authority to regularize permanent structures within residential yards to generate municipal revenue rather than resorting to blanket demolitions.
“The issue of illegal structures is a bit challenging because, of course, there are illegal structures that are permanent like tuck shops that might even tarnish the city’s image. But if these are within yards, I think they should just be regularised and enable the local authority to get revenue,” Mhuri argued.
As the 48-hour statutory notices expire, tension remains high across Gweru, with residents appealing for immediate dialogue and regulatory flexibility to prevent widespread loss of property and livelihoods.
