By Princess Eugene Majuru
THarare, Zimbabwe The skyline of Harare is expanding, but behind the glass towers and concrete roads lies a dangerous truth: the rapid expansion of Zimbabwe’s capital is not development — it is dispossession. Harare City Council continues to approve projects while residents struggle with sewage in the streets, unsafe water that often resembles porridge, and collapsing roadworks. Adding new suburbs and “smart cities” without fixing these crises is like pouring petrol on a fire.
Yet, the deeper issue is rarely spoken of: Harare’s continued growth rests on ancestral land that rightfully belongs to the Mbari clan, the royal family of Harare.
1. The Historical Wrong: Suppression of the Mbari Chieftaincy
Harare was not an empty piece of land. It was the seat of King Mbari, a King of Kings, whose rule predated colonial occupation. The British forcibly seized Harare, stripped the Mbari clan of recognition, and recast the King as a mere “Paramount Chief” — a deliberate attempt to diminish authority.
At independence in 1980, Zimbabwe inherited this colonial suppression instead of reversing it. The Traditional Leaders Act [Chapter 29:17] explicitly prohibits Harare from having a chief, an exclusion carried directly from colonial statutes.
This means that, 45 years after independence, Harare’s royal family remains unrecognized — displaced from their land, denied their authority, and silenced in national memory.
2. Expansion as Cultural, Spiritual, and Psychological Genocide
The current expansion of Harare magnifies this injustice.
Mount Hampden, where the new Parliament stands, was historically Mbari land. Yet the state built on it without recognizing its custodians.
Mazowe, now earmarked for a smart city, is disappearing fast. Once taken, little or no land will remain for the Mbari clan’s restoration.
Surrounding areas of Harare are being consumed by urban projects as if nobody owns them, despite the royal claim.
This is not mere urban growth — it is a continuation of colonial suppression in new clothes. The Mbari clan face what can be called multi-layered genocide:
Cultural genocide — erasure of kingship and custodianship from the capital.
Spiritual genocide — destruction of sacred sites and ancestral landscapes.
Emotional genocide — generations growing without knowledge of their heritage.
Physiological genocide — exclusion from the land that sustains identity.
3. The Legal Breach: Violations of Rights
National Law: Constitution of Zimbabwe (2013)
Section 56: Right to equality and non-discrimination. Excluding Harare from chieftaincy is targeted discrimination.
Section 16: Obligation to preserve cultural heritage. Suppressing Mbari violates this.
Section 63: Right to participate in cultural life. Denial of the chieftaincy strips the Mbari of this right.
Sections 281–283: Recognition of traditional leaders — but with deliberate exclusion of Harare.
Traditional Leaders Act [Chapter 29:17]
Explicitly excludes Harare from having a chief — a direct colonial relic still in force.
Lancaster House Agreement (1979)
Froze colonial laws, leaving urban areas like Harare outside indigenous custodianship.
International Law
African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights: Articles 19, 20, 21, 22 guarantee equality, self-determination, and cultural development.
UNDRIP (United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples): Articles 8, 11, 26 protect against cultural destruction and guarantee rights to traditional lands.
ICCPR (International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights): Article 27 protects minority cultural rights.
Zimbabwe, by continuing to suppress Mbari custodianship while expanding Harare, is in breach of both its Constitution and international obligations.
4. Urgent Steps for Restoration During Expansion
To prevent Harare’s royal family from being permanently erased, urgent steps must be taken:
Moratorium on New Land Projects — Stop allocating land in Harare, Mount Hampden, and Mazowe until the Mbari chieftaincy issue is resolved.
Constitutional Challenge — Petition the Constitutional Court to strike down discriminatory provisions that exclude Harare from traditional leadership.
Cultural Land Reservation — Designate parts of Harare and its periphery (e.g., Mount Hampden, Mazowe) as reserved cultural lands for Mbari restoration.
Truth and Memory Project — Document Mbari history, sacred sites, and oral traditions to anchor legal and cultural claims.
International Advocacy — Take the Mbari case to the African Union and UN Human Rights Council to highlight Zimbabwe’s ongoing violation of indigenous rights.
Expansion Without Justice Is Oppression
Harare’s rapid expansion is not progress — it is oppression disguised as development. The Mbari clan, rightful custodians of the capital, remain suppressed by colonial-era laws enforced by the post-independence state. Every new project that disregards their existence deepens the wound of cultural, spiritual, and emotional genocide.
True national healing will only begin when Zimbabwe confronts this injustice, restores the Mbari chieftaincy, and ensures that development respects heritage. Until then, Harare’s glittering skyscrapers and “smart cities” will stand as monuments to a stolen throne.
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