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who dare pay attention to the river’s protests against perennial abuse.
The foul smell is Mukuvisi River’s way of shouting obscenities, to the multitudes who have abused its once crystal clear waters and lush green riverside vegetation.
Old, battered and bruised, the course of the river has remained the same; pollution has been increasing, and so has been the swelling population of occupants of this, Harare’s water main vein.
The community has been swelling over the years as more squatters are attracted by the peace that comes with staying along the Mukuvisi River only a stone’s throw from the city centre, without anyone governing them.
The “peace of Mukuvisi” for the squatters comes from the fact that no one seems to worry about the squatters’ way of survival.
Seldom, law enforcement agencies visit the area to flush out criminals from Mbare and Epworth, who use the area as a hideout after snatching goods from people in the city centre and the neighbouring suburbs but do not disturb the occupants’ way of life.
Once in a while, non governmental organisations visit the area to give them a few goodies but basically there is no plan to move from shores of the stream to legal suburbs.
The Mukuvisi squatter community is made up of people of different age groups ranging from one month to 90 years old and from both sexes.
Despite members of this little society coming from different backgrounds, the Mukuvisi community has decided to forge a harmonious relationship that has made them tame the harsh conditions under which they survive.
Each one of them knows his or her role and boundaries. Men have to fend for the families while the women cook and nurse their children under the shadows of the trees.
In their spare time, women spend time straightening their hair with red-hot stones, children playing while men play the card game and share either opaque beer or spirits.
Mukuvisi River condemned for being heavily polluted and a haven for robbers and rapists however, has managed to nurture a community that has its own way of live.
They say the cardinal law is “you do not step on the toes of your own”.
The community despite being made up of different individuals does not have a laid down law and none seems to worry about what the next person is doing, as long as they do not infringe on their way of life.
“This is our way of life. We were forced into this squatter camp because of various reasons ranging from lack of income to being forced out of family homes.
“I came here some five years ago and have been living along the river with other boys. I got married two years ago and now stay with my wife and two kids here.
“I have no intention of leaving the place because I don’t have to think about rentals or being chased around by city authorities,” said Lloyd Tom (not his real name).
Sekuru Chagwedera (90), who by far is the longest and oldest surviving member of the community, said “I have been here for the past 13 years and have not had problems with police or city authorities.
“I was born in 1921 and came to Harare in 1945. Unfortunately I was kicked out of a relative’s home in 1998 and came to make my home here.
“As you can see I am now old and depend on the community for survival. We are a family and these young people provide me with food and clothing.
“They also collect water for bathing and drinking. That is the beauty of our community. It is not discriminatory”.
Members of Mukuvisi community get their drinking water from nearby garages, and for laundry and other cleaning purposes, from the river.
The community survives on its own and doesn’t require police and authority like what people in affluent suburbs do. They say poverty has brought them together and they have learnt to respect each other.
The community has managed to put its own structures that maintain order and peacefully settle internal disputes.
Only those cases that the community can’t deal with are referred to the police and these include crimes such as rape and murder.
Mukuvisi community is however, not an isolated one and has contacts with the outside world and is informed of the on-goings in the country.
They get a chance to get into town sell their wares in Mbare and other markets to earn a living.
The little money they raise is used to provide food for the community that is usually made up of between 15 and 30 people.
In some communities, food which is usually sadza and vegetables and occasionally meat, is cooked in communal pots and each member get his or her share from the mothers and women in the group.
Another beauty of the Mukuvisi communities is that no one cares what the next person or group of people is doing as long as it does not interfere with the lives.
A new squatter is only absorbed into the communities after staying for a period and when the members are satisfied that the “intruder has no evil intention”.
“That is the law of the river. Each community manages its own affairs. The area is open to all. This is on the understanding that people are here because they can not afford the city’s suburbs.
“As you rightly put one simply finds a suitable own place and the people around you becomes your community. No one will ask you what you do and even when you move out we are not worried.
“The community only worries if one has lived among the community for longer periods or has become close friends with a member of the people,” said Regina, one of the members of the community that stay behind Magaba Home Industry area.
She said imposing strict laws would disqualify Mukuvisi River as a place for the destitute and those who failed to make it in the harsh life of the city.
“We understand that these people can’t lodge anywhere in the city’s suburbs because they do not have a stable income.
“They also can’t move to areas far away from the city because they depend on the city for survival,” she added.
The communities acknowledge that they have no control over the goings-on along the river saying the place also house thieves and prostitutes.
The criminals use the foliage to hide after engaging in illegal activities.
Members of these communities said they sometimes have bruises with the law when criminals hide in the area or conceal their loot there.
“That is common but we often help the police in identifying the hideouts. That has however, made us unpopular with some gangs who often assault and rape our woman in revenge,” said one of the members.
Workers in Magaba and surrounding areas spoke glowingly about some members of the communities saying most of the incidents like robberies and murders in the area were carried out by people from other areas, some as far as Epworth.