Johnson Progress

In a decisive move aimed at enhancing safety and modernizing the city centre, the Harare City Council has unveiled proposals within its newly adopted 2025-2045 Master Plan to prohibit the operation of informally partitioned shops and so-called “fake malls” within the Central Business District (CBD).

The initiative targets widespread safety hazards and licensing violations plaguing the urban core.

The council’s stance, formalized in the Master Plan adopted on July, 2025, stems from escalating concerns over fire risks and regulatory evasion.

City authorities argue that the rampant practice of subdividing large retail spaces into numerous small, cramped cubicles often misleadingly branded as “malls” creates dangerous conditions.

Highlighting the acute fire hazards, Harare’s Chief Fire Officer, Mr. Lovemore Mafukidze issued a stark warning.

Mafukidze pointed to the dangerous concentration of highly flammable goods like perfumes and artificial hair within these unventilated, poorly managed spaces.

He emphasized that the problem intensifies during the winter months due to unattended heating appliances.

Mafukidze explained the specific risks associated with power fluctuations, stating, “The CBD has become challenging… When electricity is restored after blackouts, heaters and cookers can spark fires among piles of goods.”

Investigations by the city’s fire department revealed alarming practices.

Many of these partitioned shops feature illegal wooden mezzanine floors, drastically reducing ceiling heights to below two metres.

Critically, they often lack basic safety features such as proper ventilation, adequate fire escapes, and documented emergency evacuation plans, transforming them into potential death traps.

Beyond the immediate safety crisis, the council is clamping down on systematic licensing abuse.

Mayor Jacob Mafume, speaking earlier this year, accused property owners of exploiting the term “mall” as a facade to avoid paying multiple shop licence fees for what are effectively numerous individual businesses operating within a subdivided premises.

Mafume derided the current situation, asserting, “The issue of what they call malls, frankly speaking, does not fit the definition of what we understand as malls, either locally or internationally Someone just partitions their shop, names it after their grandmother, and suddenly claims it’s a mall.”

To address the licensing loophole, the council is implementing a new fee structure.

The mayor clarified the shift away from the previous flat rate, explaining, “A supermarket and a small shop used to pay the same fee… Now, each business pays according to the space it uses.”

This move ensures that subdivided shops will incur licensing costs proportionate to their individual footprint, removing the financial incentive for creating “fake malls.”

The proposed ban on compartmentalization is a cornerstone of the Master Plan’s vision to decongest the CBD, improve safety standards, and foster a modern, vibrant 24-hour city centre.

The plan also encourages property owners to redevelop dilapidated buildings into vertically integrated mixed-use structures and establishes dedicated zones for informal trading, moving vendors away from pavements outside formal retailers.

Compliance will require upgrading building facades and removing illegal structures.

The full Harare 2025-2045 Master Plan is currently on public exhibition until October 3, 2025.

Residents and stakeholders can view the document at municipal offices or download it from the official city website.

Objections and feedback must be formally submitted by October 16, 2025.