Tynwald Resident Fined Over US$12K For Installing Speed Hump On Road

Tynwald Resident Fined More Than U$$12K For Installing Illegal Speed Hump Outside Property

A Tynwald resident is counting the cost after the City of Harare slapped them with a penalty of over US$12,000 for taking matters into their own hands and constructing a speed hump on a public road without official permission.

The hefty fine was issued in a no-nonsense letter dated 5 December 2025, signed by the City’s Director of Works, Engineer Isaiah Zvenyika Chawatama. The letter, which has since been circulating on social media platforms, was addressed to the occupant or owner of 7714 Dawn View Park, informing them that their DIY traffic-calming measure violates the law. The resident has been given a stark choice: pay up or have the money forcibly deducted from their rates account.

Council Letter Labels Speed Hump a Criminal Violation

The tone of the official correspondence from the Town House leaves no room for argument. According to the letter, the homeowner’s attempt to slow down traffic in their neighbourhood has landed them in hot water with the law. The Director of Works made it clear that installing any structure on a council road without a permit is a serious offence.

“It has come to my attention that the occupant/owner of 7714 Dawn View Park, Tynwald has installed a speed hump across a road without authority from City of Harare Department of Works,” the letter reads. “In accordance with the Roads Act [Chapter 13:18], Part VII, Sections 46 and 47, this constitutes a violation.”

Eng Chawatama’s letter demands that the resident report to Cleveland House immediately to settle the penalty, which has been calculated down to the last cent. The breakdown of the fine was not specified, but the total amount due is staggering: Twelve Thousand Four Hundred Fifty Dollars and Fifty Cents (US$12,450.50), which is approximately R234,069 in South African Rand at the current exchange rate.

48-Hour Deadline to Tear It Down or Face Financial Ruin

The council not only imposed a crippling financial penalty but also ordered the immediate physical removal of the offending structure. The resident was ordered to restore the road to its original state within 48 hours, highlighting the municipality’s hardline stance on what it terms the destruction of its infrastructure.

“This amount must be paid within seven (7) days of receiving this notice, failure to pay will result in the City of Harare billing the rates account of 7714 Dawn View Park, Tynwald without further notice,” the letter continues. “The speed hump created on the road must be removed within 48 hours.”

Following the initial notice, the council doubled down on its position, warning residents across the capital that unauthorised alterations to roads, whether digging trenches for water pipes or installing speed humps, will not be tolerated. They confirmed that offenders are liable for the full cost of repairs and that such costs will be forcibly added to their rates accounts if they refuse to pay.

Budiriro Homeowner Also Fined Over Illegal Water Connections

This latest enforcement action mirrors a similar case from November 2024, when a Budiriro 3 resident was fined US$13,813.51 (approximately R259,660) for allowing neighbours to cut roads to connect water pipes from a borehole on their property. In that matter, the same Director of Works, Eng Chawatama, issued a stern warning that all damaged roads must be reinstated within 48 hours.

“It has been brought to my attention that a borehole was drilled at your residence and water is being distributed to other households from there,” reads the letter from that incident. “In so doing, you allowed the community to cut our roads as they lay their water pipes to their homes without authority from the Roads Section of City of Harare.”

The Budiriro resident was ordered to pay US$13,813.51 and restore all cut roads to their original state within 48 hours, demonstrating a consistent pattern of enforcement by the City Engineer.

The City of Harare has consistently maintained that under Schedule 25A of the Harare (Protection of Lands and Roads) By-Laws and the Roads Act [Chapter 13:18], any resident intending to trench across council roads or install structures must first obtain written permission through the Director of Works.

Failure to comply renders offenders liable to fines and the full cost of removing illegal structures or repairing damaged roads, with such costs potentially added to rate accounts without further notice.

Residents and developers across the capital have been urged to comply fully with council procedures to avoid similar financial penalties that could run into thousands of dollars.