Hre buildings death traps: Mafume

  Mayor of Harare Jacob Mafume declared yesterday that a number of the city's buildings were death traps and would soon be demolished due to neglect. Following her visit to a building that collapsed in the capital on Saturday afternoon, killing Yolanda Hodzi of Norton and wounding six others, Mafume made the comments.  

  At the intersection of Chinhoyi and Bank Streets in Harare's major business center, the building collapsed. While investigations are still ongoing, the cause of the collapse is still unknown. In a NewsDay interview, Mafume expressed regret for the unfortunate event. He expressed regret for the tragedy. "I'm devastated by what transpired. It is quite regrettable; only a few weeks prior, we had sent out a notice regarding the condition of the buildings in the capital. "We will examine them to close any that don't meet standards and provide a schedule for renovating the buildings so that we don't document these tragedies in the future."  

  Hosiah Chisango, the town clerk of Harare, gave building owners who possess run-down structures a deadline last week. "The Central Business District (CBD) and those outside of the CBD are hereby given notice by the City of Harare to renew or regenerate their buildings and/or properties either through repairs, refurbishments, and/or repainting," the notification stated. Model building bylaws on the status of structures and their occupants were cited by Chisango.  

"It is forbidden for anyone to permit a building that has been constructed on their property to: (a) endanger the health of those who use or occupy the building, or the public's health; (b) emit offensive fumes, smoke, or odors; (c) be unsightly or a disgrace to the neighborhood; or (d) in any other way be offensive or embarrassing to those who live or work there or in the neighborhood," the statement read.