Story by ZBC staff reporter
IN a shocking development, Harare Gardens could soon be inaccessible to the public as the Harare City Council is leasing portions of up to three hectares of the recreational park to private players and individuals.
Once an epitome of nature’s beauty and now an image of neglect, Harare Gardens silently suffers a management crisis that has become synonymous with Town House.
This time, the City fathers have allowed the privatisation of Harare Gardens, which is being leased to private entities.
Evidence on the ground shows some areas are already fenced off, while other portions are in the process of being cordoned off.
Each allocated area stretches for between two and three hectares.
The privatisation of this recreational park is being done under the guise of monetisation of the facility, but local governance experts and Harare residents’ representative bodies say this is just a reflection of a crisis at Town House.
“We have always condemned the idea of privatising Harare Gardens. And this is not good at all, because what we are now doing is we are handing over public property to the hands of the elites or individual under the guise of privatisation. Remember, these open like Harare Gardens, these spaces are public spaces where people go and, you know, relax and also be able to, you know, for recreational purposes. So again, when these areas are then privatised, they become inaccessible to the public. And we are then continuing to fuel the issues around drug abuse and even some other mental health issues amongst residents.
“The whole idea, you know, the people, we are worried over the leadership at townhouse, because they haven’t demonstrated, you know, that idea that they want to develop the city. They think that surrendering their mandate to an individual will then change how they are doing things at the townhouse. That’s not it. And these things, we are very, very much worried, because at the end of the day, you realise that the moment when we reach year 2030, the local authority we will have virtually have nothing, and even virtually have not even a single service, which they provide. We cannot have a local authority that is purely administrative. That’s unacceptable. Even in any part of the world, you cannot have a local authority that just does administration,” Combined Harare Residents Association, Mr Reuben Akili said.
Back in 2015, similar moves were made to privatise the recreational park, a move which was resisted by Harare residents.
The new owners are already making known their intentions, the demarcated areas are off limits to public access – any entry may be treated as an intrusion.
Yet this is an area that, for many years, offered solace to hundreds of people.
The public have become innocent pawns, quietly they sit under the tree shades, not aware that this may be the last time they will freely sit in this space.
The next time they return, it may be fenced off just like the other portions of this recreational park.
We queried the Harare Mayor on the unfolding issue involving the privatisation of Harare Gardens.
“We are going to come up with a programme on how we can mobilise the city to maintain the recreation. Put up fences and have activities there or work with communities on activities that are in tandem with recreation activities,” Councillor Jacob Mafume said.
Across town in Marlborough, another recreational area is being replaced by brick and mortar.
Budiriro and Glen Norah recreational parks have also suffered the same predicament, and the cost of fast-disappearing recreational parks is taking a huge toll on the young generations who are now seeking other avenues for entertainment.
