Chitungwiza Municipality, a dormitory town near Zimbabwe's capital, is facing a severe shortage of land for residential, recreational, and industrial development. According to Wycliff Mutambanengwe, the lead planner for the municipality's master plan, the town has exhausted its available land and is now targeting surrounding areas in Manyame Rural District Council for expansion.
The population boom in Chitungwiza has led to this land scarcity, and the municipality's weakened physical planning and housing structures have allowed land barons to thrive, resulting in land invasions and illegal boundary changes.
"For development, we need to consider six farms across Nyatsime as part of our master plan," Mutambanengwe revealed during engagement meetings with Chitungwiza residents. Former ward 3 Zanu PF councillor John Matiyenga echoed the need for the council to expand beyond the Chitungwiza boundary, saying, "We no longer have land for development here in Chitungwiza and we support the idea of expanding into Manyame Rural District Council."
The municipality is racing against time to finalize its master plan by the June 30 deadline set by President Emmerson Mnangagwa, who has ordered all 92 local authorities in Zimbabwe to come up with comprehensive master plans to curb the growth of informal settlements.
In a separate development, the commission of inquiry into Harare City Council (HCC) operations revealed that the council's business units, including City Parking, were last audited in 2019, leaving them vulnerable to theft and corruption. The ministry's financial adviser, Thompson Marufu, also raised concerns about the council's shady deals with regional parking companies, such as the US$908,000 payment to Smart Park Africa and the disappearance of US$400,000 paid to Park Rite.
