Source: Land sales fuel Harare’s Ardbennie rapid industrialisation –Newsday Zimbabwe
THE residential hum once defining in the Ardbennie neighbourhood in Harare has turned into a new buzz of industrial atmosphere. Ardbennie is a small community that is located about 10 kilometres south of Harare’s central business district, between Mbare and Waterfalls.
The gentle sounds of lawn-mowers on shaped lawns, the cheerful yells of children playing in closed-end streets, the comforting rhythm of life in a quiet residential suburb are slowly being replaced by the industry.
A new sound is beginning to drown out the peaceful medium-density residential site — the heavy rumble of construction vehicles, the clang of metal, the persistent beep of reversing trucks. Ardbennie is changing, morphing, against the wishes of many, into something altogether different — an industrial zone
For years, Ardbennie was known as a small community that many people desired to live in. Neighbours knew each other, children grew up together and local tuckshops were the heart of the community, a place for quick chats and shared laughter.
Now, from the corner of First Street and Dover Road up to the end of that road, there are companies like Tashllyt Investments, Zebrakiss Coaches, PetrocoZim, Spring Base, Electrosales Zimbabwe and other new truck operating companies.
Investigations carried out by NewsDay revealed that some companies that are very close to houses do not display their company names outside buildings, but they have built new warehouses, offices and long perimeter walls for privacy.
The allure of land, relatively cheaper than in established industrial zones, has proven too strong for growing companies. One by one, homeowners, often enticed by lucrative offers, sold their properties, their personal histories surrendered in the name of progress — a progress that many residents feel is leaving them behind.
“It’s heartbreaking,” says Chipo Mavhunga, a resident of Ardbennie for over 20 years, her voice thick with emotion as she gestures towards a newly-erected precast wall surrounding a massive Electrosales warehouse.
“This was Gogo Dube’s home. Her children grew up playing with my brother. They all went to the United Kingdom and when their mother died, they sold this stand. All these developments started during COVID-19,” Mavhunga recalled.
The influx of industry has brought more than just change in the landscape. The infrastructure of old Ardbennie, designed for residential traffic, is buckling under the weight of heavy-duty vehicles. Roads that were once smooth and well-maintained are now scarred with gaping potholes, obstacles that residents navigate with increasing frustration and at the risk of damage to their vehicles.
“We used to complain about the occasional pothole after the rains,” laments Temba Milo, a taxi driver who has lived in the area for 15 years.
“Now, it’s like driving in a war zone. These big trucks, day-in day-out, are destroying our roads. Look, along this street, about four houses have been destroyed to build big precast walls and new industrial warehouses, but they don’t seem to care about our roads. They come in, build their factories and leave us to deal with the mess,” a disgruntled Milo told NewsDay
The sense of community, once the bedrock of Old Ardbennie, is slowly eroding. The familiar faces are disappearing, replaced by unfamiliar vehicles and the clandestine comings and goings of industrial workers. The laughter of children is punctuated by the roar of engines, the scent of blooming flowers overshadowed by the metallic tang of industry.
In an interview with NewsDay, ward 23 councillor Stanley Manasi Manyenga (Citizens Coalition for Change) expressed concern over residents who sell their residential stands to businesses as they are offered huge sums of money.
“Ardbennie is within the boundaries of industries, so it’s a combination of residential and industrial areas. However, it is the very same residents who are selling their residential stands to companies because they are being offered good money by businesspeople,” Manyenga said.
“So, it is easy to change use since it’s near industrial sites like the Graniteside area. It’s a situation where residents should come together and communicate exactly what they want. For road rehabilitation, the authorities can discuss with the new companies and come up with a solution on how they can fix those roads going forward.”
Harare mayor Jacob Mafume requested questions to be sent to him on WhatsApp, but he had not responded until the time of publishing.
Ardbennie stands at a crossroad. The quiet charm of its past is fading, overshadowed by the stark reality of its industrial present. The question that hangs heavy in the air is whether this transformation will ultimately benefit the long-term residents or if they will be left to navigate pothole-ridden roads and a diminished sense of belonging in a place that was once their cherished home.
The slow creep of concrete continues, and the heart of Ardbennie watches, with a mixture of resignation and a lingering hope that perhaps progress will not come at the cost of community and livability.
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