By Staff Reporter
GWERU – A demolition notice issued by Gweru City Council ordering a resident to pull down
an “illegal water tank” within seven days has sparked fierce debate online, with many
interpreting it as a ban on Jojo tanks.
However, the local authority has moved to clarify that it was targeting unapproved brick-and-
mortar structures supporting the tanks, not the tanks themselves.
The notice, issued under the Zimbabwe Model Building By-Laws Chapter 2 Section 36 Sub
Section 1(C), directed the recipient to
“Demolish: WATER TANK you erected illegally” and warned that failure to comply within
seven days would see the council demolish the structure and charge the owner the cost incurred.
“Please note that the seven days’ notice is due on 10/11/26, after which the relevant action will be
taken by Council,” read part of the notice, which directed queries to the Building Section, Room
102, Town House, Engineering Services Department,” read the notice.
The notice circulated widely on social media, with residents reading it as a blanket ban on water
storage tanks, a sensitive issue in a country where persistent water shortages have made Jojo
tanks a household necessity.
Contacted for comment, Gweru City Public Relations Officer Vimbai Chingwaramusee
dismissed the interpretation, saying the council was not targeting Jojo tanks but the structures on
which they are mounted.
“We are conducting an operation to remove all unapproved illegal structures erected in Gweru.
Whenever one wants to erect a structure, they should approach the local authority so that it is
inspected and planned according to council by-laws. We are currently giving people notices to
demolish structures; we have not demolished any. We are targeting the entire city,” said
Chingwaramusee.
She went on to say council was not banning jojo or water tanks but was enforcing inspection and
approval of brick and mortar stands.
“We are not demolishing Jojo tanks, I’m sure I need to clear that. However, there are people who
built unapproved brick and mortar structures which they are using as stands for their Jojo tanks,”
she said.
Chingwaramusee explained that any brick-and-mortar structure requires an approved plan and
inspections during construction to avoid hazardous structures. She added that some residents
were constructing water tanks using brick and mortar with metal reinforcement inside, in some
cases for small irrigation and other uses.
“For one to erect a water tank, to construct a water tank, you need a permit from the local
authority and the tank has to be inspected and approved,” she said.
The Gweru notice comes amid a nationwide enforcement drive by local authorities under
Operation Chenesa, a Ministry of Local Government and Public Works programme aimed at
removing illegal settlements, unauthorised markets and structures, and “restoring order in urban
areas”.
The operation has seen councils issue demolition notices and, in some cases, carry out
demolitions of structures deemed illegal, drawing criticism from residents and rights groups who
say the programme has left families homeless and livelihoods destroyed.
The programme has been particularly contentious in Masvingo, where councillors recently called
for a temporary halt following the devastating hailstorm of October 5, 2026, which destroyed
homes across the city.
Councillors argued that residents still recovering from the disaster should not be subjected to
further pain through demolitions.
