The City of Harare has given residents and housing associations in targeted informal settlements 14 days to comply with its regularisation requirements or risk having their structures demolished. The deadline is 9 November 2026, following a public notice issued by Acting Town Clerk Warren Sean Chiwawa on Monday, 26 October 2026.
The directive affects people and organisations occupying council, state or private land before 23 September 2023 who were recommended for regularisation and issued partial certificates of compliance. It also covers housing associations and beneficiaries who were previously spared demolition but have not completed the required processes.
What Harare Residents Must Do Before The Demolition Deadline
Affected property owners must visit their district offices to settle outstanding obligations. These include penalties for illegal land occupation and construction, payment of the land’s full intrinsic value, and submission of architectural plans for approval.
They must also pay penalties relating to unauthorised roads, water and sewer infrastructure, and illegal connections to existing services. Any outstanding infrastructure work must be completed.
Chiwawa said compliant property owners would have rates accounts opened in their names. However, those who fail to meet the requirements within the 14-day period risk enforcement action.
Which Structures Will Be Demolished Regardless?
The council warned that some properties will not qualify for regularisation, even if their owners attempt to comply. These include structures built on ecologically sensitive land and land reserved for public facilities where regularisation is not permitted.
Construction currently taking place without council approval will also be stopped, with the offending structures facing demolition.
In the notice, Chiwawa warned that enforcement would proceed after the deadline without further notification.
“Council will act firmly, decisively and without fear or favour. No person, regardless of status, position, political affiliation or influence, is exempt from the application of the law,” the notice stated.
Owners whose properties are demolished will be responsible for the costs of demolition, rubble removal, site clearance and restoration.
Residents seeking clarification can contact the council’s Director of Urban Planning Services at Cleveland House or the Director of Housing and Community Services at the Housing Department’s head office in Mbare.
The council has urged affected residents to complete the regularisation process to protect their investments and support the development of a properly planned city.
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