Mount Pleasant residents have been left stunned and dismayed as developers put the finishing touches on a controversial two-storey building along Alpes Road, raising fears it could become operational at any moment.
This comes despite previous assurances from the Harare City Council that the structure would be demolished for flouting city building regulations and endangering public safety.
The building, positioned at the busy intersection of Alpes Road and Granta Road, stands just three metres from the road verge—well within the minimum five-metre setback required by Harare’s Model Building By-Laws of 1977. Its proximity to the road has caused widespread concern among residents, who warn it creates a dangerous blind spot for motorists and poses a serious risk of traffic accidents.
Residents say they are baffled and frustrated by the recent flurry of construction activity, which includes painting and electrical work, suggesting that occupation is imminent. Their shock is compounded by the deafening silence from city authorities—with no statement or explanation issued regarding the apparent U-turn on the building’s fate.
“Residents just want openness and transparency from the council as to what is going on,” said Mavis Marongwe, a Mount Pleasant resident.
“The building was flagged as irregular by the commission of inquiry and council subsequently came out to say it is going to be demolished. Now residents are seeing what looks like finishing touches being put on the building and are baffled as there is no communication from the city council. Council should inform the residents on whether its decision has changed from what it previously advised residents.”
Efforts to get clarity from the City of Harare have so far hit a brick wall. Both the district office and the Department of Planning have reportedly failed to provide answers on who authorised the continued construction or why the building is being allowed to proceed in blatant violation of city by-laws.
Former Harare East legislator Allan ‘Rusty’ Markham, who has followed the saga closely, expressed his frustration:
“What I do know is that since it started being built in the foundation, the residents have been complaining and City of Harare have failed. Both the district office and the Department of Planning have failed to explain why, who gave them planning permission. In fact, they’ve evaded the question,” Markham said.
The Alpes Road building was specifically cited last year by the Commission of Inquiry into Harare City Council’s operations as a prime example of corruption and non-compliance within the city’s planning processes. The commission’s findings, though not fully released, identified the structure as a “huge danger to the public.”
This latest development has deepened concerns about transparency and governance in Harare, where illegal land allocations and weak enforcement of building codes have undermined public trust.
“Anyone who dares to set up shop in this structure would be out of their minds. The danger is written in red,” said one resident, reflecting the widespread anxiety in the neighbourhood.
Robert Mutyasira, chairperson of the Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA), said the City of Harare must desist from taking residents for granted.
“Instead of salvaging the little confidence the people of Harare still have in the municipality, they continue to betray us. The rationale behind some of their decisions and actions is annoying, and we begin to question if we are still safe in this city. The trajectory our authorities are pursuing is regressive. The conscience or sting that should indicate wrong doing no longer exists among them. This level of shambolic planning is unacceptable, and we cannot be forced to swallow such anomalies. I urge the residents of Mount Pleasant to express their dismay with such developments. Unless and until they do, they will continue to see the decadence of the once among the most admirable neighbourhoods in Harare.”
With the building now apparently ready for occupation, the residents’ sense of betrayal is at an all-time high. Community forums and residents’ associations in Mount Pleasant are mobilising, and further protests or legal action cannot be ruled out.
For now, the glaring silence from city authorities only heightens the community’s anxiety, as residents wait for answers—and real action—to address what they see as a dangerous and unlawful development in their midst.
