Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. After overseeing the controversial demolition of homes in Belvedere last year, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume now faces the possibility of his own property being demolished.
This follows the revelation that he transformed his residential home in Belvedere into a hostel without the proper authorisation.
As reported by NewZimbabwe.com, during a session of the Harare Commission of Inquiry, led by retired Judge Justice Maphios Cheda, City of Harare inspector David Wadarwa testified that he would recommend the demolition of the unauthorised renovations on Mafume’s property.
Mafume previously admitted that he failed to apply for a “change of use” permit, blatantly bypassing council regulations for his commercial venture.
The commission wasted no time in questioning Wadarwa, pressing him for answers about how he approved inspections on a building that didn’t match the submitted plans.
When asked why he signed off on the developments despite discrepancies, Wadarwa claimed that it was routine for him to approve changes and then recommend alterations later.
However, under intense scrutiny from lead evidence officer Tapiwa Fresh Godzi, Wadarwa hesitated, stammering “It was an error on my part, Sir” — a statement he repeated six times.
Justice Cheda, clearly unimpressed, pointed out that each error had been carefully signed off, and the matter was raised again and again.
Wadarwa went on to explain that he had been pressured by his superiors to rush through the process, forging dates and signing off on all six approvals in a single day.
The commission pressed him further, asking what steps he would take to rectify his mistakes. He said:
I will advise the owner of the property to demolish the alterations made to his property and revert to the original approved plan. I will write a letter to my seniors informing them about this.
Despite admitting to bending the rules, Mafume is holding on to the hope of “regularisation,” hoping to exploit a loophole in the city’s by-laws.
However, his hopes were quickly dashed by Samuel Nyabeza, the Acting Director of Urban Planning at the City of Harare, who made it clear that such a move would not be possible.
Nyabeza expressed serious concerns about the inspection signatures on Mafume’s property plan, calling them highly suspicious due to the unusually frequent inspections.
He also insisted that Mafume must correct his mistake by returning the property to its original residential status, in accordance with the law.
Mafume, who is reportedly out of the country, is expected to return next week to face the commission again.
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