Harare gets new deadline for draft master plan

Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter

The Government has given the City of Harare a new deadline of November 20, 2024 to submit a comprehensive draft master plan.

The new deadline was contained in a recent directive from the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, urging the council to expedite the drafting of the new master plan.

The original deadline for all local authorities to submit their draft master plans, which some local authorities met, was June 30, 2024.

The deadline was set by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works following the call to action service delivery blueprint launched by President Mnangagwa last year.

In an interview, Harare Mayor Councillor Jacob Mafume underlined the importance of inclusivity in the planning process.

“We recognise that the master plan is a collaborative effort. The initial draft required corrections and additional submissions from residents, which is why we are committed to consulting all stakeholders in accordance with the Regional Town and Country Planning Act,” he said.

To meet the new deadline, the council has mobilised teams to conduct essential surveys, including household and traffic assessments, which are crucial for data collection.

“We are confident that with the support of our consultants from Singapore who have successfully executed similar projects in Kigali and Singapore, we will meet the November deadline,” said Cllr Mafume. However, the Mayor acknowledged financial constraints, revealing that the city requires approximately US$2.9 million to finalise the master plan.

“Given that Harare is a major city, the complexity and cost of developing an effective master plan are significant,” he said.

Cllr Mafume blamed unnamed officials within the council for the delays in the drafting of the master plan reiterating the need for urgency and accountability.

“We must ensure that this master plan not only meets Government expectations but also serves the needs of our residents as we work towards achieving Vision 2030,” he said.

The City of Harare submitted its initial draft master plan to the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works in July and urged residents to keep lodging submissions for incorporation into the final plan.

After the submission, the city undertook to give residents opportunities to view the draft and make submissions which might be incorporated into the final master plan.  Suburban could not establish if residents have had sight of the initial draft but came across a few soft copies shared in some Harare residents’ WhatsApp Groups.

Urban and rural district councils have been asked to draft master plans as directed by President Mnangagwa in the local authorities blueprint he launched last year. The blueprint dubbed “Call to Action” seeks to improve service delivery and poor planning in local authorities was cited as one of the stumbling blocks to efficient service delivery.

A master plan serves as a city’s main land use and development planning policy guide with a typical planning horizon period of at least 10 years.

Harare’s current master plan, prepared in the late 1980s and approved to become operative 13 years later in 1993, is now 30 years old, necessitating an update to reflect the current realities of the city.