Suburban
A lot of people, attracted by spacious stands and beautifully maintained services, bought their dream homes in Marlborough, Ward 41, during the early 1980s.
Suburban Reporter
Since then, various developments that include cluster homes and blocks of flats have been added to the suburb’s housing stock.
One would, therefore, think that with this rate of development, the new Parliament and the presence of the American Embassy, the ward would be witnessing a corresponding increase in and upgrade of facilities.
Actually, the opposite has been happening in what must rank as one perplexing paradox of modernisation.
Fed up with what they see as constant neglect of their suburb, Marlborough residents on Monday forced a meeting with City of Harare Council officials to establish, among other things, why.
Currently residents rely on supermarkets at Greencroft, Mabelreign and Westgate shopping centres.
A supermarket and maternity clinic, are among the list of requirements residents demanded from Council during the Monday meeting.
It was called for by the Combined Harare Residents’ Association (CHRA) and attended by Council officials and some of the residents in compliance with current Covid-19 protocols.
The Council team was headed by Mrs Jane Gambiza, the acting District Officer for Marlborough and Mabelreign, while CHRA was represented by officials led by Mrs Shungu Chirimuuta.
Residents turned up in their individual capacities.
Not only are residents irked by Council priorities; they are appalled that the recreational park — situated behind the District Offices — has been neglected and abandoned. It is overgrown with grass and shrubs and has been turned into a haven for all sorts of unsavoury activities.
The roof of the council’s fruit and vegetable market, next to the park, collapsed several years ago and is on its knees. No one seems to care as nothing has been done to repair or renovate it. Council does not seem to view this as revenue being lost.
In a demonstration of its priorities, for years the same Council stands accused of allowing a site designated for a Council school to be occupied by a church.
The school would be catering for school children from New Marlborough, Adlynn, Good Hope and Westgate areas in Ward 41.
Residents suggested that if Council is unable to maintain the recreational park, perhaps it should allow residents to adopt, run and maintain it rather than allow development of more flats.
Concern over emphasis on development of more flats stems from the health hazards from frequent blockages of sewerage system in the area, especially along Admiral Tait Road and Marlborough Drive.
The scale of neglect of maintenance is not only confined to roads, street lights, erratic water supply and unpredictable refuse collection or condonation of pollution of a tributary of Gwebi River by home industries and waste collection companies, especially those offering services in empting septic tanks.
The district office itself stands as monument to neglect. Residents wonder how Council workers could be expected to motivated to perform to their maximum amid such a sea of neglect, abandonment and dereliction.
While Council officials put on a brave face trying to reassure residents, the level of demoralisation is apparently self-evident.
Residents have raised repeated concerns over the increase in traffic from the suburb, which creates unbearable congestion during morning and evening peak hours.
Council officials explained that they had prioritised major roads in the area, singling out Harare Drive, Sherwood Drive, Lavenham Drive and Good Hope Road. Among these priorities are a roundabout at the junction of Harare Drive and Nemakonde (Lomagundi) Road; the junction of Harare Drive and Solomon Mujuru (Kirkman) Road and Harare Drive and Sam Nujoma/Second Street Extension.
However in an interview with Zimbabwe Television Network (ZTN) this week, Mr Tafadzwa Muguti, the Provincial Co-ordinator for Harare Metropolitan, outlined the Mbudzi, Kuwadzana and Warren Park roundabouts as being on top of his “to-do list”.
The damage to major roads in the ward has come from heavily-laden trucks on their way to the east of the city. Residents have asked for installation of humps and enforcement of a ban on heavy vehicles using routes in the ward.
On their part, Council officials pleaded lack of resources to undertake the necessary work and repairs to enable Marlborough to reclaim its once attractive status.
