THE government has lifted a conditional moratorium on local authorities regarding change of use and change of reservation applications, but residents’ groups warned that the decision is premature, arguing that underlying governance issues remain unaddressed.
Local Government and Public Works minister Daniel Garwe withdrew the moratorium, citing improved planning capacity across local authorities.
The moratorium was imposed on May 2, 2025, under section 69 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act [Chapter 29:12].
It suspended local planning authority powers related to section 26(3) and sections 49(3) and (4) applications.
In a memo addressed to councils, Garwe said the decision followed a careful appraisal which showed that local authorities had significantly improved their internal planning and development control capacity, including compliance with conditions stipulated in the original moratorium.
The minister emphasised that following the withdrawal, local authorities are no longer prohibited from exercising these powers. He also urged them to continue strengthening newly established Departments of Spatial Planning and to implement robust development control measures.
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The ministry’s Inspectorate Department will ensure compliance with the measures local authorities undertook to abide by to achieve orderly and functional settlements.
However, residents’ groups have reacted with caution, questioning whether all municipalities are truly ready.
Combined Harare Residents Association director Reuben Akili said they were concerned about what he described as a “sweeping” or wholesale approach.
“Some of the issues that prompted the moratorium, even in some of the local authorities, have not been addressed, such as the issue of master plans,” he told NewsDay.
“Some of the master plans, even for Harare and other municipalities, have not been concluded.”
He further noted that development control units in several local authorities remain reactive in dealing with illegal land development and dubious land allocations.
“We would have envisaged a situation where this moratorium would be lifted for those who have met the requirements or the issues that triggered the suspension,” Akili said.
He pointed to ongoing challenges faced by residents, including corrupt land allocation and opaque land governance in urban areas. He said such practices violated provisions of the Environmental Management Act and the recently gazetted Environmental Management Agency Wetland Map.
“So what we are just saying around this moratorium is that we would have thought that this would apply to municipalities that have met the requirements or the standards that would have been set,” Akili said.
“But unfortunately, this is a sweeping moratorium, and at the end of the day, it creates a situation where it becomes more of a drama rather than trying to address the underlying governance issues impacting spatial planning and even housing in local authorities.”
Residents’ groups argued that lifting the moratorium across the board risks reopening the door to the very challenges the suspension was meant to curb.