Published: 2 hours ago

Prominent property mogul Ken Sharpe has launched a scathing attack on the Harare City Council, accusing it of stifling economic growth through poor service delivery, exorbitant fees, and what he described as "incompetent operations."

"These city fathers, they are disappointing us," Sharpe said. "They're not giving us the services we need. And yet, they're charging us a lot of money."

Sharpe, whose WestProp Holdings is spearheading the billion-dollar Pomona City development, said developers were being forced to carry costs that should be the responsibility of the local authority.

"In Pomona City, we had to put our own sewer, our own biodigesters, even six million litres of water storage. We spend millions of dollars, but they still want us to pay rates. It's not right," he said.

The real estate tycoon also blasted the city's plan approval fees, calling them "unrealistic and unreasonable." He urged government to impose a cap of US$500 for residential projects and US$10,000 for commercial ones—figures far below the current charges, which he says can run into the hundreds of thousands.

"How can you pay US$100,000 just to submit a plan? It's unreasonable," Sharpe argued. "We need to fix these fees if we want to grow this sector."

Sharpe noted that Zimbabwe's real estate sector contributes only 1.8% of GDP, compared to between 10% and 20% in other African and global markets. He warned that without urgent intervention from both central and local government, the country would continue to miss out on a key driver of economic growth.

"We want to build Zimbabwe. But we are not able to do it because we are not getting enough support," he said. "National government, please support us. Local government, please support us. We need your support."

By openly appealing for government intervention, Sharpe signaled that he wants more than reforms at Town House—he is pressing for a fundamental overhaul of how Zimbabwe's capital city manages development.
- zifm

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