Bulawayo gets tough on neglected buildings

ALTHOUGH accommodation in Bulawayo continues to be scarce, with the demand soaring on a daily basis, a number of buildings in the city have stayed empty for over a decade, with their owners refusing to let them out, a situation that has been condemned by various stakeholders in the city.

In recent years, the city has experienced an unprecedented increase in the number of abandoned and derelict buildings in the central business district most of them reportedly owned by white businesspeople.

One such individual is a business tycoon who reportedly owns 23 out of the 80 dysfunctional properties around the city, most of them being flats. Most of his buildings are derelict because they have gone for years unoccupied, while others have been turned into storage space for broken down tractors, shells of vehicles and other junk bought from auctions and dumped at the properties.

Some buildings that have been neglected for over a decade include Capri Restaurant and Pizzaghetti located at corner George Silundika and 11th Avenue and Empire Suites at the corner of George Silundika Street and 12th Avenue.

In an interview, Minister of State for Provincial Affairs in the Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Cde Nomthandazo Eunice Moyo castigated owners of the buildings, saying this showed that there were some people who were not serious about the revival of Bulawayo.

She said it was surprising that while some buildings were unoccupied ordinary Zimbabweans were still clamouring for office and residential accommodation, noting that the local authority could be losing thousands of dollars in revenue they are failing to collect from the empty buildings.

"Bulawayo is now flooded by empty buildings. We need the owners to take action and make sure that the buildings are occupied because they are turning the city into a ghost town. Bulawayo needs a facelift and this is one move that can do so.

"My goal is to resuscitate Bulawayo industries and in doing so, such issues need to be dealt with, action needs to be taken to make sure that the buildings are occupied. It is not in our authority to force owners into action but we will work on the dynamics on how we can deal with the problem," she said.

The minister also highlighted the need for a massive revamp of buildings in the city centre if Bulawayo were to regain its glamour. "We are committed to seeing that all those old buildings are spruced up so that they don't become an eyesore. Some of them are now derelict and are in a state of disrepair of which this needs to be dealt with," she said.

The city's mayor, Councillor Martin Moyo, said while there was not much they could do about the issue, it was mind boggling that someone could just purchase a building only to abandon it instead of letting it out to people who require office or accommodation space.

"We have discussed it in the past, I think this time we have to come up with a policy to address this issue of these unoccupied buildings because our residents need this space," said Clr Moyo.

With regards to dilapidated buildings, the council's senior public relations officer, Mrs Nesisa Mpofu, said the local authority had resolved to deal with owners of such buildings.

"We resolved to deal with dilapidated, derelict and unsightly buildings in the city. We have to date identified 80 buildings and have notified them that they have contravened the Model Building By-laws of 1977, Chapter 2 Section 49 (Parts C and D).

"Council's Legal Section should promulgate the Offences and Fixed Penalties for the Buildings, Roads and Streets By-laws 1971, to ensure that the offending properties containing the nuisances defined above are fined," said Mrs Mpofu.

Bulawayo United Residents Association chairperson Mr Winos Dube said as residents they were worried about the number of buildings that were abandoned around the city while there was a shortage of accommodation.

"This is one of the first things I mentioned to the mayor when I paid him a courtesy call. We can't have these buildings while people are in dire need of accommodation, be it for residential or office space, something really has to be done," said Mr Dube.

According to the Real Estate Institute of Zimbabwe, Bulawayo has one of the lowest occupancy ratios in the country. The shortage of office space has seen some residential flats in the city being turned into offices.