Harare City Council extends lifeline to shops with illegal partitions -Image Source@zwnews
The Harare City Council has extended a lifeline to shops that have illegal partitions in the CBD.
The municipal task force conducted rigorous inspections of 295 business premises across the central business district, uncovering multiple regulatory violations.
Edgar Dzehonye, chairperson of the enforcement task force, revealed that 79 operations were shuttered for operating without any business licenses, while 27 others were found with expired permits.
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“We encountered situations where up to 20 separate operators were conducting business within a single building without proper authorization,” Dzehonye stated. “Our team took immediate action to close these non-compliant operations.”
Authorities discovered that 60% of inspected buildings containedillegally subdivided spaces. While 30 properties had proper partitioning permits, 50 were operating with unauthorised structural modifications.
“Rather than imposing immediate closures across the board, we’ve granted a three-day window for property owners to rectify partition violations,” Dzehonye explained.
“Owners must collaborate with city planners to restore buildings to their approved layouts or face mandatory demolition of non-compliant structures.”
The operation, officially named “CBD Order Restoration,” focuses on multiple regulatory requirements. These include valid business licenses and operation certificates, approved building plans and partition permits, current fire safety compliance documentation and up-to-date municipal rate payments.
City spokesperson Stanley Gama emphasized zero tolerance for violations:
Source: Iharare
