Suburban
The Borrowdale Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA) says the iconic and uniquely designed Borrowdale District office has been in a state of disrepair and neglect due to Harare City Council’s incapacitation.
Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter
The dilapidation of the structure has been an eyesore to residents who often visit the office for payment of rates and other council related business.
After several alerts from members of the community, the BRRA officials conducted a tour of the entire Borrowdale district office premises and say they were saddened by the state of affairs at the once vibrant and fully functional facility which served the community well.
The main building whose architectural design is unmatched is under invasion by a relentless colony of termites which are eating away the wooden components of the structure.
Termites have caused considerable damage to the district office and the BRRA team is calling on all residents to donate towards the planned extermination project.
The residents’ body is appealing for 100 litres petrol and cash donations to also fix the roof beams which have already been eaten away.
During a recent tour of the office, BRRA chairperson Mr Robert Mutyasira and one of the residents Mr Ray Townsend located the mounds that are housing the attacking termites and considered options of exterminating the colonies and a tried and tested method of using exhaust fumes from petrol vehicles.
“One end of a hose pipe will be connected to the exhaust of a running vehicle and the other end inserted as far as possible down the main mounds. The fumes will filter through the colonies and, from past experiences, the chances are the termites will not be seen again for a number of years giving us the chance to repair all the damaged portions of the building. Any attempt at renovating the office without dealing with the termites first would be a futile exercise as the little creatures are determined to appease their appetite for any piece of wood,” said Mr Mutyasira.
The BRRA chairperson feared for the possible collapse of the Borrowdale district office as the damage has reached extreme levels and advised all residents to treat this situation as an emergency and contribute to save the structure.
“The possible collapse of the building is imminent and lives of occupants are in danger. Consequent to the eating away of the rafters, roof tiles are falling off and water is gushing in during heavy rainfalls further damaging ceilings and walls. An expert at renovations has already assessed the structural damage and a bill of quantities, which will be made public, has been presented to the BRRA committee.”
He also reiterated the BRRA’s plan to harness the rainwater that runs off from that same huge Borrowdale district office roof space, as it was discovered that the design of the building had this provision from the onset.
“The vice chair (of BRRA), Hebert Mashanyare and a committee member, JoAnn Ross are spearheading these initiative and significant strides have been made towards achieving positive impact. Our plan is to create storage space for water to service the office and the clinic in times of crisis. We also wish create a good working environment for council staff so they meet their job objectives which will translate into the residents getting what they pay for on time and in full. Long shot but we will get there,” said Mr Mutyasira.
The BRRA appealed to all residents to assist in restoring the beauty, value and utility of this community heritage by donating in cash and in kind towards this worthwhile exercise.
“We very well know that our local authority institutions are not in the best of states to execute such tasks as urgent as they may seem but we cannot watch community assets wear off right before our eyes. Our generation would have failed the coming generations and it is our new mantra that we must hand over these assets as we found them or better.
“We are cognisant of the fact that some residents are religiously paying their rates but others due to a number of reasons which include the prevailing economic pressures, are not. This, coupled with governance issues around the city council has resulted in a number of adverse developments which the concerned communities will have no option but to be reactive and proactive in dealing with such pertinent matters if they have the capacity and willingness to do so. It is our wish that we are able to execute all these activities before the rains. This goes to show how urgent these projects are. The vehicles to do the work have already been offered and donated materials are accumulating but not at the rate that will beat the timelines of the project,” added Mr Mutyasira.
