Borrowdale Residents Hand Over Community Projects

Borrowdale residents hand over community projects worth US $150 000 (image source)

Borrowdale residents formally handed over three major community-driven projects to the Harare City Council on 17 September, showcasing local ownership and public–private collaboration aimed at upgrading suburb infrastructure and services.

The Borrowdale Residents and Ratepayers Association (BRRA) oversaw the completion of a US $85 000 multipurpose community hall in Greystone Park, solar-powered streetlights along 1.2 km of Nathaniel Baylis Road, and a 50 000 L solar-lift borehole system supplying adjacent high-density settlements.

“Today’s handover marks a milestone in community empowerment,” said BRRA chair Robert Mutyasira. “These facilities reflect residents’ commitment to improving our neighbourhood without burdening municipal coffers.”

City Council engineer Sylvia Gundura accepted the facilities on behalf of the municipality, praising the residents’ initiative. “This collaboration alleviates service backlogs and models how communities can partner with government,” she said, pledging to integrate the ward’s plans into the 2026 infrastructure budget.

The Community Hall, built on land donated by a local trust, features 120 seats and a solar grid for lighting and audio-visual equipment. Council has agreed to maintain the structure under its Social Services Department. In addition, twenty-five photovoltaic lamps now illuminate Nathaniel Baylis Road from Borrowdale Road junction to Pinewood Crescent, reducing crime rates by 18 percent in pilot studies and enabling safer pedestrian access at night.

The project also installed a solar-lift borehole adjacent to Borrowdale Clinic. The 50 000 L overhead tank feeds three communal taps serving over 2 000 residents in Borrowdale East’s high-density extensions. Health Officer Dr Chipo Khumalo noted drastic reductions in water-borne diseases.

“Before, we queued hours for borehole water,” recalls resident Joyce Mhofu. “Now children fetch safe water within minutes.”

The projects cost US $150 000 in total, funded through a mix of resident levies, diaspora remittances, and grants from the Zimbabwe Community Development Facility (ZCDF). The ZCDF contributed US $50 000, matching resident contributions collected over two years.

ZCDF programmes manager Anna Chisamu emphasised the replicability of the model. “With clear governance structures, communities can self-finance critical infrastructure,” she said. “Borrowdale sets a benchmark for other wards.”

Harare’s decentralized governance framework encourages ward-level development plans. Since 2023, BRRA has executed eight projects valued at US $600 000, including road resurfacing, tree planting, and school library refurbishment. These initiatives emerged amid Harare City Council’s constrained revenue base, where maintenance shortfalls exceeded ZWL 2 billion in 2024.

Community-led schemes have drawn mixed reactions. A 2024 city audit warned that without formal agreements, municipalities risk inheriting maintenance liabilities for assets they did not fund. To address this, BRRA and Council signed a memorandum of understanding in June 2025, clarifying operational and maintenance roles.

“Clear MOUs protect both community investments and council responsibilities.”– Dr Ropa Kabango, University of Zimbabwe urban planner

Residents will establish a facility management committee, trained by the Ministry of Local Government on asset upkeep and procurement rules. Council has allocated US $15 000 in next year’s budget for hall maintenance and streetlight repairs. The borehole system will be monitored by the Harare Water Department, with in-line telemetry feeding usage data to the city’s SCADA network.