A colossal waste of resources
THE imposing yet dilapidating three storey building, built on the feet of a mountainous range on the right side of Magamba Road in Chikanga, Mutare, is a distinctive feature that can hardly escape the attention of passers-by.
For more than two decades, this building has been lying idle with its windows being damaged over the years, sadly at a time when residents, especially tenants, in the eastern border city are experiencing serious accommodation challenges.
With each passing year, the building is losing its lustre and value.
Completed around 2002, the building was condemned by Mutare City Council, ostensibly because the owner (the late Mr Shadreck Beta) did not follow urban building approval procedures during its construction.
Mutare City Council spokesperson, Mr Spren Mutiwi said: “Urban buildings are expected to conform to the urban planning processes and procedures and the infrastructure in question did not comply and meet the set criteria.
“Certain processes were not done when the flats were built and council has failed to certify the building. Every construction stage should be inspected and approved by council in line with the legislative framework and building model by-laws.
“With the global warning phenomenon taking its toll in many nations, inspection of such infrastructure is, not only key for the safety of occupants, but we also need to approve resilience infrastructure that is able to withstand man-made and natural disasters.”
Stages in the construction of urban building include council inspections and engineering inspections, where the supervising engineer has to provide a detailed report on his or her inspection.
There should be a site book that records progress and is signed for at every stage.
Council requires setting out and excavation approvals, foundation, brickwork and hard core as well as window height inspections and approvals.
There is also the wall plate inspection and the roofing as well as the plumbing and drainage.
On the engineering aspect of inspections, soil tests are needed when excavations are done. There is also inspection of the excavation columns basin to substantiate the soil tests.
The second stage comprises steel fixing for basin and column starter where the engineer inspects the reinforcements, the quality of material and cement used as well as aggregates.
After that, there are column inspections where the engineer checks for column extension.
Then there is deck shuttering from the first deck, cube tests are also required for the first deck.
There is also the second deck inspection. If there is another deck, the same applies.
All the inspections have to be written in the site book by the site engineer.
Speaking on the condemned structure, construction expert, Engineer Zororo Dunga said: “On the way forward, considering where the project is right now, there are assessments that can be done by a registered engineer.
“The assessments are done to ascertain whether the building is fit for occupation or not. The engineer would need the soil tests results and the cube tests results for all the elements to be able to certify. As it stands, it might be difficult for any engineer to take it up, especially if the required information is not available,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from the property owners were fruitless as reports showed that the building has exchanged hands over the years, with no one with finer details of the current owner.