Harare, Borrowdale residents clash

With the ink barely dry on the Cheda Commission report, more skeletons are tumbling out of Harare City Council's closet, this time centred on Borrowdale, one of the capital's most affluent suburbs now facing rapid and questionable densification.

The commission, appointed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in May 2024 and presented in June this year, exposed systemic mismanagement, corruption and irregular land allocations at Town House. Among its most damning findings was the pervasive influence of land barons, aided by complicit city officials.

In Borrowdale, developers are advertising 400sqm stands and three-storey apartments on land zoned under the suburb's Local Plan 32, despite concerns from residents and urban planners that the area lacks the infrastructure to support such developments.

According to the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA), plans are being authorised at Cleveland House without the involvement of the district office, fuelling suspicions of corruption.

"Underhand deals are taking place," BRRA chairperson Robert Mutyasira told this publication.

"The norm is for any developer to approach the district office, but in Harare it is the opposite. Money is alleged to have exchanged hands at the detriment of the community."

The developments threaten to overwhelm an already fragile infrastructure. Borrowdale's sewer system lies west of Borrowdale Road, meaning new connections east of the ridge would require costly uphill pumping to Crowborough treatment works. Developers have proposed installing biodigesters, but residents argue they cannot cope with the projected density.

Water is another flashpoint. With municipal supplies unreliable since the early 2000s, most residents rely on boreholes. But the water table is dropping fast, with some now drilling as deep as 130 metres compared to the usual 40–50 metres.

Roads, many narrow and potholed, are also ill-equipped to absorb additional traffic. Residents fear a permanent gridlock, worsened by the absence of new schools, clinics and police stations.

Borrowdale's wetlands, once home to rich flora and fauna, are also under threat. At Lobels Farm and Carrick Creagh, construction is encroaching on key ecosystems. Mutyasira accused council officials of ignoring environmental approvals:

"Did EMA [Environmental Management Agency] approve these planned developments first? Or did City of Harare documents come before certification? The future of Borrowdale hangs in the balance."

The BRRA is demanding a halt to "regularisation" — the practice of approving illegal structures retroactively after developers pay a fee. They want illegal developments demolished at the developers' expense, greater transparency in planning, and tougher sanctions for corrupt officials.

"The environment is not ours; it belongs to future generations," Mutyasira said.

"We cannot fold our hands while greedy people vandalise it. The damage being done will be hard or impossible to correct."

The Borrowdale uproar comes as the Combined Harare Residents Association and the Harare Residents Trust call for sweeping reforms at Town House in the wake of the Cheda Commission findings. Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe has promised a special taskforce, working with ZACC, to probe corruption in local authorities.

Meanwhile, residents await President Mnangagwa's next steps. Will Harare City Council halt shady land deals, or will Borrowdale — long a symbol of prestige — be transformed into a densely packed suburb with collapsing infrastructure?

For now, as residents insist, the battle for Borrowdale's future has just begun.