Residents of Glen View in Harare have petitioned the City Council urging authorities to halt plans to demolish a community borehole they say is critical to public health and access to safe water.
The appeal, presented to Mayor Jacob Mafume on Tuesday argues that the removal of the borehole located between 20th, 21st, 23rd and 24th Crescent in Glen View 1 will endanger more than 2 800 residents who rely on the facility amid persistent water shortages in the suburb.
Signatories to the petition, led by residents Desmond Manatse and Reverend Given Masango accuse the city of prioritising the allocation of infill residential stands over the community’s right to water and health saying the move threatens to trigger another waterborne disease outbreak in an area historically prone to cholera.
The disputed borehole was first drilled in 2018 as a bush pump before being upgraded and solar-powered under the government’s Presidential Borehole Scheme in 2025.
Similar installations have been rolled out across cholera-affected communities as emergency water supply solutions.
Residents say the City of Harare issued a 48-hour eviction and demolition notice on 6 October, arguing the borehole was an “illegal occupation” and needed to be removed to make way for four housing stands approved in 2024.
Petitioners contend that the borehole predates the housing allocation and accuse city authorities of poor planning and possible corruption.
The petition alleges that no alternative water source has been provided if the borehole is removed, residents were not consulted about converting a public open space into private housing, the stand allocations have fueled community tensions, raising fears of violence and city departments appear divided and disorganised over the issue
“This action threatens water security and public health in Ward 31,” the petition reads, warning that demolishing the borehole will not only violate residents’ right to water but also create a serious public health crisis.
Residents are calling for a special council committee to investigate the stand allocation process, community meetings to disclose council records dating back to 2019 and a moratorium on any demolition or construction until the matter is resolved.
They also want council to instruct beneficiaries of the stands to stop delivering building materials or attempting to build on the site.
The petition has also been copied to the Office of the President and Cabinet and the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
