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Midlands Bureau
GWERU businesses risk losing operating licences if they continue using old and dilapidated structures in the central business district (CBD), the local authority has warned.

Gweru Mayor, Councillor Josiah Makombe, said the local authority held a meeting with property owners and gave them a 12- month ultimatum to upgrade and modify their structures, particularly those in the CBD. Cllr Makombe said Gweru intends to embark on an ambitious infrastructure upgrading programme that would see most old structures in the city being renovated to meet modern standards.

“As you have observed there are many old structures particularly in our central business district. Some of the buildings are dilapidated but people are still operating from them. We are concerned about that.

“We convened a meeting with the business community and we gave them one year to spruce up their buildings. This was after they pleaded with us to give them time to attend to the buildings. We took into account the prevailing economic situation when we gave them a year to spruce up their buildings,” he said.

Cllr Makombe said property owners who do not comply with the directive risk losing operating licences.

“Those who fail to meet the deadline to work on their buildings risk losing operating licences,” he said.

A snap survey by The Chronicle established that most buildings in the central business district were built before independence. Only two buildings, Stanbic Bank and Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) Megawatt Shopping Mall along Bulawayo road were constructed in the past five years.