By HRH Princess Eugene Majuru, Princess of Harare — Voice for the Voiceless
There is a principle that every leader should understand:
Leadership begins with leading by example.
If you expect citizens to maintain their properties, protect public safety and keep their surroundings in good condition, then Government and local authorities must be prepared to demonstrate that same standard in the public spaces and infrastructure under their responsibility.
This is why the latest directive from Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe requires deeper scrutiny.
The Government has directed all 92 local authorities to begin issuing abatement orders against owners and occupiers of buildings, boundary walls, pavements, yards and surrounding areas considered unsafe, unsanitary, dilapidated or otherwise unacceptable. Property owners may be required to undertake repairs, renovations, repainting, cleaning and refurbishment, with failure to comply potentially attracting a Level 5 fine, imprisonment of up to six months, or both under applicable legislation.
The stated objective is to restore cleanliness, safety and order.
Fine. But let us apply the same standard across the board.
Minister Garwe, the people have been asking the same questions
The residents being told today to beautify their homes and businesses are the same residents who have for years been asking local authorities to repair roads, improve public spaces and address dangerous infrastructure.
They have complained about roads that have become hazardous.
They have complained about inadequate street lighting. They have complained about deteriorating public buildings.
They have raised concerns about schools, clinics, hospitals and community facilities that require urgent attention.
They have raised health and safety concerns.
They have reported dangerous conditions.
And in some cases, the consequences of neglected infrastructure have not been merely inconvenient.
People have been injured. People have lost their lives.
This is why the Government cannot approach beautification as though the responsibility runs in only one direction.
Minister Garwe himself acknowledged the deterioration of roads, lighting, shopping complexes, buildings and public spaces across local authorities when announcing the new enforcement measures.
That admission raises a fundamental question:
If the Government recognises that public infrastructure is deteriorating, what is the Government doing about its own side of the responsibility?
You cannot demand what you are not prepared to demonstrate
There is nothing unreasonable about expecting a homeowner to maintain a dangerous boundary wall.
There is nothing unreasonable about expecting a business to keep its premises safe and sanitary.
There is nothing unreasonable about requiring a property owner to repair a structure that presents a genuine danger to the public.
But the same principle must apply to the public sector.
If a dangerous road is left unrepaired, who is accountable?
If a public building becomes unsafe, who is accountable?
If a school has dangerous infrastructure, who is accountable?
If a clinic or hospital facility deteriorates to a point where patients and workers are exposed to unacceptable conditions, who is accountable?
If a public space is poorly maintained and somebody is injured, who answers for that?
If an open sewer, unsafe excavation, collapsed infrastructure or another public hazard remains unattended despite complaints, who takes responsibility?
These are not theoretical questions.
Zimbabwe has already seen tragic examples of what happens when public safety hazards are left unattended. In June 2026, The Sunday Mail described the deaths of three people in an unsecured sewer excavation in Budiriro as a failure to protect residents, noting that the excavation had remained unguarded for months.
That tragedy should force every level of local government to ask a very uncomfortable question:
Are we enforcing safety standards on residents while failing to meet equivalent standards ourselves?
Beautification cannot become a one-way street
The Government’s argument is that citizens have responsibilities.
I agree.
But Government also has responsibilities.
The social contract cannot be:
Government tells citizens what to do, while citizens repeatedly ask Government to do what it is already legally and administratively responsible for—and receive no meaningful response.
That is not balanced governance.
If residents are told that the appearance and condition of their properties affects the wider community, then the condition of public infrastructure must also be recognised as affecting the wider community.
A pothole affects everybody.
A dangerous public building affects everybody.
A poorly maintained clinic affects everybody.
A neglected school affects children.
A broken pavement affects pedestrians.
A badly lit road affects commuters.
A blocked drainage system affects entire communities.
These are not private problems.
They are public responsibilities.
Before pointing fingers at residents, put your own house in order
Minister Garwe, I say this respectfully but directly:
Put your own house in order.
Before threatening residents with fines and imprisonment for failing to beautify their properties, demonstrate that the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and the 92 local authorities under its oversight are meeting the standards being demanded of citizens.
Publish an infrastructure condition assessment.
Tell Zimbabweans which roads require urgent rehabilitation.
Tell the public which schools, clinics, hospitals and community centres have been identified as unsafe or in need of major repair.
Publish the plans for dealing with them.
Publish timelines.
Publish budgets.
Publish progress.
And where responsibility rests with local authorities, demand accountability from those authorities.
The Auditor-General already publishes reports concerning local authorities. That existing accountability framework should be treated as part of the wider conversation about service delivery and public resources.
Accountability cannot stop at the front gate of someone’s private home.
It must reach the council offices, ministry offices and public institutions responsible for delivering services.
The question is not whether people should maintain their properties
Let us not distort this debate.
The question is not whether property owners should maintain their properties.
Of course they should.
The question is whether Government is approaching the matter with fairness, proportionality, consistency and humanity.
There must be a distinction between:
a genuinely dangerous building;
an unsanitary property;
a structurally unsafe boundary wall;
a building requiring essential repairs;
and a property that simply does not meet someone’s preferred aesthetic standard.
Those things are not necessarily the same.
The law should be applied objectively.
Residents should know precisely what they are being required to remedy.
They should receive proper written notices.
They should be given reasonable periods to comply where the matter is not an immediate danger.
And there should be a meaningful avenue for residents to explain genuine financial or practical difficulties.
What about the people who cannot afford the work?
This is another question that Government must answer.
Zimbabwe has many unemployed people, pensioners, low-income families and struggling small businesses.
Some people may own modest homes but have little disposable income.
A family might be able to afford food and school expenses but not immediately afford a complete external repaint.
A small church may have hundreds of congregants but very limited resources.
A community business may be operating on the margins.
So when Government says “repair, renovate, repaint and beautify”, it must also explain what happens to people who genuinely cannot afford substantial works immediately.
Are there financing mechanisms?
Are there phased compliance arrangements?
Are there exemptions or extensions for vulnerable property owners?
Can local authorities provide technical guidance?
Can the programme create employment for local builders, painters, plumbers, electricians, landscapers and other tradespeople?
A properly designed programme could actually stimulate local economic activity.
But a poorly designed programme risks becoming simply another mechanism for punishment.
Government should lead a national infrastructure renewal programme
If the Ministry genuinely wants to transform Zimbabwe’s built environment, then let us broaden the vision.
Do not merely order citizens to paint.
Launch a National Built Environment Renewal Programme.
Let every local authority undertake a transparent audit of:
Roads.
Street lighting.
Drainage.
Public toilets.
Schools.
Clinics.
Hospitals.
Community centres.
Public markets.
Council buildings.
Public parks and recreational spaces.
Pedestrian infrastructure.
Dangerous structures and public hazards.
Then publish the findings.
Classify them according to urgency.
Fix the most dangerous first.
And report publicly on progress.
That would demonstrate leadership.
That would demonstrate seriousness.
And, importantly, it would show citizens that Government is not simply demanding standards from them—it is meeting those standards itself.
Accountability must not be selective
Minister Garwe’s ministry has considerable authority over local government and public works.
With authority comes responsibility.
Local authorities must also be accountable.
If a council repeatedly fails to repair a dangerous road despite documented complaints, there should be consequences.
If a public facility is allowed to deteriorate to the point of becoming unsafe, somebody should answer.
If safety warnings are ignored, there should be an investigation.
If money is allocated for repairs but the work is not done, citizens deserve to know what happened.
If procurement delays are responsible, the public should be told.
If financial constraints are responsible, the public should be told.
If poor management is responsible, the public should be told.
Silence cannot be the default response to public safety concerns.
We cannot have two standards
This is ultimately about consistency.
You cannot tell residents:
“You must maintain your property because it affects public safety and the appearance of your community.”
And then expect residents to accept indefinitely:
“The road outside your house is dangerous, but there is no money to repair it.”
You cannot tell a business:
“Your premises must be maintained to protect the public.”
And then allow public facilities to deteriorate without equivalent urgency.
You cannot tell citizens that cleanliness is everyone’s responsibility while public rubbish collection, drainage, roads and public spaces remain neglected in some communities.
If safety matters, safety must matter everywhere.
If cleanliness matters, cleanliness must matter everywhere.
If maintenance matters, maintenance must matter everywhere.
Minister Garwe, this is a challenge to leadership—not an attack on development
I want to make it clear that this is not an argument against the Government’s objective.
Zimbabwe deserves clean, safe and functional towns and cities.
Zimbabwe deserves properly maintained buildings.
Zimbabwe deserves good roads.
Zimbabwe deserves functioning public spaces.
Our children deserve safe schools.
Our communities deserve safe clinics and hospitals.
Our elderly deserve dignity.
Our citizens deserve to walk through their neighbourhoods without fearing avoidable hazards.
But achieving that requires more than enforcement.
It requires leadership.
And leadership means looking in the mirror before pointing the finger.
Minister Garwe, before you demand that every Zimbabwean beautifies their property, show Zimbabweans that the Government is beautifying, maintaining and protecting the public infrastructure for which it is responsible.
Before threatening residents with imprisonment, demonstrate that public safety complaints are being heard.
Before imposing deadlines on struggling property owners, publish the deadlines and standards applicable to public infrastructure.
Before demanding accountability from citizens, demonstrate accountability within the ministry and local authorities.
And before telling Zimbabweans to put their houses in order:
Put your own house in order.
My appeal to Minister Garwe and every local authority
I therefore call upon Minister Daniel Garwe, his ministry, all 92 local authorities and every responsible public institution to embrace a principle of reciprocal accountability.
Give residents reasonable time to comply with non-emergency repairs.
Prioritise genuine safety hazards.
Engage communities.
Publish clear standards.
Make the process transparent.
Provide avenues for appeals and extensions where justified.
Protect vulnerable residents.
And, above all, lead by example.
Let Government repair the dangerous public infrastructure.
Let councils maintain the public spaces.
Let schools, clinics and hospitals receive the attention they desperately need.
Let roads be made safe.
Let public buildings be brought to acceptable standards.
Let communities see action where they have repeatedly asked for action.
Then ask residents to do their part.
That is partnership.
That is responsible governance.
That is leadership.
Zimbabweans should not have to choose between a government that enforces and a government that listens.
They deserve both.
And as I have said before, a government should never forget that behind every building, every road, every clinic, every school and every statistic are human beings.
They are mothers.
They are fathers.
They are children.
They are workers.
They are pensioners.
They are people trying to survive.
Do not govern them as numbers. Govern with humanity.
Minister Garwe, I urge you to ensure that this campaign becomes more than a crackdown on residents.
Make it a national partnership for safer, cleaner and better-maintained communities.
And let the Government lead from the front.
Because leadership is not telling people to practise what you preach.
Leadership is practising it first.
HRH Princess Eugene Majuru
Princess of Harare
Voice for the Voiceless
Comments
About Author
