21/05/2025
A Chinese company which constructed a wall on top of disused railway tracks in Harare has been forced to knock it down after town officials said the wall was illegally built.
The unnamed company recently acquired the property at 44 Tilbury Road, next to the headquarters of Masimba Holdings, and decided to erect a perimeter wall for increased security.
The wall cut across old railway lines, drawing a public backlash and prompting the National Railways of Zimbabwe to clarify.
The NRZ said the rail line in the pictures was a “disused, privately-owned siding leading to a now defunct factory which is currently being demolished after the property was bought by a Chinese-owned company last year.”
It added: “They built the security wall to prevent thieves from accessing their newly acquired property. So, effectively, the NRZ does not have any mandate over the disused line but understands that the City of Harare is looking into the matter.”
On Tuesday, workmen were seen demolishing a part of the wall built on the railway tracks.
It was not clear where the instruction came from, but Harare mayor Jacob Mafume on Monday told reporters that the wall had been built without council approval.
Mafume said the local authority’s Development Control Team visited the Chinese property owner who “seemed to think there was no problem building the wall across the railway line because NRZ had not raised any concerns.”
“The council explained that all boundary walls need official approval. The wall or part of it that is too close to the railway line must be taken down,” Mafume said.
