We, the residents of Waterfalls suburb in Harare, in our diversity as property owners and tenants, and, having complained, cried and appealed to Waterfalls District Council through their service delivery arms, and not being satisfied with services rendered, hereby wish to escalate our appeal to Harare City Council (HCC) Town Clerk and Mayor, in the hope that you will intervene and get the residents’ pain points addressed and resolved promptly.

 Waterfalls is a large suburban settlement that comprises of 12 distinct areas (sub-suburbs) namely Ardbennie, Grobbie Park, Houghton Park, Induna, Mainway Meadows, Malvern, Midlands, Parktown, Picnic Park, Prospect, Shortstone and Uplands.

 A common thread of issues affecting all these areas includes but is not limited to the following.

 1. Order and cleanliness

2. Illegal buildings and businesses

3. Road infrastructure

4. Water shortages and/or unavailability

5. Health facilities

6. Waste Management

7. Noise pollution

 

The residents appeal for intervention to ensure that the following issues are addressed and resolved.

 

1. Order and cleanliness

(a) This starts with the setup at Parktown Shopping Centre. Tuckshop businesses have sprung all over the dirty place, often in front of formal businesses that pay rent and taxes. More importantly, the complex that houses OK Supermarket has suffered neglect over the years such that for the spaces that are not occupied, namely the former furniture shop and service station, look completely rundown and unsightly, thus making Parktown Shopping Centre a bad experience for shoppers and passersby. Parking space is unstructured and dirty, and the neglected building is now home to vagrants, common thieves and drug pedlars. Our youth are no longer safe as a result, and crime in the area is rising, with muggings now common in the surroundings. Residents are losing valuables and lives are at risk.

(b). In addition to the above, there is also a business area in Malvern commonly called Zindoga. That development requires a rethink! It resembles a growth point where buildings just spring up in a seemingly unplanned and unstructured manner. There is also a dangerous truck parking business in the area and the whole setup leaves a lot to be desired. Other suburbs in the north of Harare are developing shopping malls where shopping or even just visiting is a wow experience. At Zindoga the site is depressing, and not fitting of a modern-day town development at all.

(c). There are various shopping centres around Waterfalls which could benefit from a brush of modernity, and the higher standards like Sam Levy and Highlands Park in northern Harare could assist restore property value in Waterfalls. Not what is currently pertaining. It is unacceptable!

 

 2. Illegal buildings and businesses.

As already indicated, the residents of Waterfalls are unhappy with what appears to be businesses that just spring up on any available space and start trading.

(a)    A case in point are the tuckshops at Parktown, but these can also be found on our roads all over Waterfalls. The tuckshops are erected haphazardly, making the place messy. There is need for control, so that those registered to conduct business do so legally and professionally. Is Council getting any income from these tuckshops, to assist in the much-needed revenue for the provision of services required by residents?

(b)   Often, we observe developments that go on without us residents having been consulted as per by-laws. Land use is being changed with residents not being given the opportunity to state their views. As a result, we have a huge shopping centre that has been developed along Masotsha Ndlovu Way, opposite the ZRP Waterfalls station, and word has it that a service station will also be sited there. It is our view that this development is dangerously sited, close to an intersection where many accidents have claimed innocent lives. The shopping centre will add to traffic volumes along an already busy trunk road and uncontrolled intersection. While modern shopping centres are a welcome development, this one, called X-Mart, is not in a good place, and as far as we are concerned, it is also illegal as we were not given the opportunity to either reject or approve the development in our area.

(c)    In Mainway Meadows, there is a dirty place coined “paRound”), set up illegally and used by vendors and tuckshop owners, right in front of people’s private homes. Kombis and mushikashika rank park in this development, creating a lot of noise and inconvenience for property owners. There are no public ablution facilities and people use storm water drains as toilets. This development needs to be dismantled urgently.

(d)   All illegal structures, be they dwelling places, or business premises, must either be regularized or brought down to maintain order and high standards that Waterfalls once enjoyed. Waterfalls Recreational Park has become another sore point for the residents and requires prompt redress. It is just behind the Council Community Hall, and there are squatters who have now made it their home, making it unsightly and unhygienic. The place has now become a haven for ritualists, spiritualists and criminals. Council must address these issues in our park as a matter of urgency.

(e)    We also demand answers on the status of Waterfalls Sports Club. It is not being used for the original intended purpose and residents want to see it restored.

 

3. Road infrastructure 

(a). Our roads in Waterfalls are now hardly traffic-able, and we appeal to Harare City Council to intervene. We were largely affected by the Emergency Road Rehabilitation Programme that culminated in the resurfacing of Masotsha Ndlovu Way, Malvern Road, the expansion of Masvingo Highway (Simon Mazorodze) and the now renamed Trabablas Interchange. Most of our roads were used as detours and have never been repaired since. All our roads, apart from Masotsha Ndlovu Way and Malvern, are now in a state of disrepair and have become a hazard to life and limb, apart from damaging vehicles. Patching by the Waterfalls District Office has been far between, and pointless as the rains wash away the soil-filled potholes. Our roads require a total makeover and should be resurfaced with bitumen tar as has been done elsewhere. Currently Waterfalls roads have become a source of ridicule and jokes even on social media, and we are very unhappy that our suburb has become a no-go area for investors and visitors, thus lowering property values for residents, and even those that wish to dispose and resettle elsewhere.

(b). In the same vein, we hasten to add that for years we have appealed to Waterfalls District Council to save lives on our roads by installing traffic lights at key intersections, as well as provide street lighting, in vain. We need traffic lights along Masotsha Ndlovu Way at the intersections with Seke Road and First Avenue. Give way, stop or four-way stop signs would be required  at the intersection  of Masotsha Ndlovu Way and Sixth Avenue, and also at the t-juntion with Simon Mazorodze. Similarly, appropriate traffic control is required at the intersection of First Avenue and Northway, then Strachan and Waterfalls Avenue.

(c). The heavy trucks that are parked illegally at Uplands Shopping Centre and unsightly and contribute to damaging our roads. This should be stopped.

(d). Waterfalls’ residents would also want to see the bridges across Mukuvisi river raised and widened along First and Sixth Avenues to reduce congestion and improve safety.

(e). We acknowledge the extension of Harare Drive from Simon Mazorodze, with a new bridge across Mukuvisi river to Masotsha Ndlovu Way. We are grateful for the solar traffic lights installed at this intersection. We however would want to know what plans there are for Harare Drive from the said intersection on to and across First Avenue. That section of the road is no longer traffic-able.

 

4. Water services

While we acknowledge the reduced amount of potable water throughout the City of Harare, in Waterfalls there are places that have had no water flowing from their taps for very long periods, with some areas in the Uplands area not having had piped water since 2018, and some since 2006. Reports have been made to Council about these, but solutions do not seem to be forthcoming any time soon, hence this petition. We need permanent solutions so that residents can enjoy normal lives in their homes. At the same time, the residents in the affected area receive monthly bills with estimate water charges, for services they are not receiving. These charges must be stopped, and reversed until the service is restored.

 

5. Health facilities

There is only one Council Clinic in the whole of Waterfalls, with a population comprising of approximately 18,000 households. This excludes Retreat Farm in Harare South, whose residents also rely on and overwhelm that one Clinic available. The same said Clinic does not have adequate water, nor does it have solar backup power, putting many patients at risk when they seek medical help there. In any case, the Clinic is ill-equipped to provide services and is insufficient for the population requiring assistance. Our appeal is that the Clinic be revamped into a modern and well-equipped institution, and that more Clinics be built in other areas within Waterfalls.

 

6. Waste Management

Some residents in areas of Waterfalls haven't seen a refuse truck for years. Dumpsites have become commonplace, creating a health hazard and defacing Waterfalls as well as making it unattractive for potential investors, and further devaluing our properties. Our appeal to HCC is to ensure that refuse is collected from every road and household at a reasonable frequency, efficiently and effectively so that we also contribute to the Clean City mantra and enjoy a healthy environment.

7. Noise pollution

There are entertainment venues scattered all over Waterfalls. The challenge however is that operators disregard by-laws and our peace is disturbed unnecessarily especially over weekends. We have written letters to operators, copying both the Council and the police, but interventions have been far between and inadequate. There is need for a permanent solution to this menace, hence this petition. Please help us!

 Waterfalls’ residents submit this petition and copy stakeholders whilst looking to HCC’s immediate attention to the issues raised. We expect an official response to the issues raised within 30 days. We are at liberty to escalate our appeal if not satisfied with responses and actions arising from this petition.

Kind regards,

 

WATERFALLS RESIDENTS (See representative signatures below)

cc: Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Permanent Secretary

cc: Minister of Local Government and Public Works

cc: District Officer, Waterfalls

cc: Harare City Council Ward 23 Councillor

WATERFALLS RESIDENTS’ PETITION SIGNATURES

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