Homeowners at the upmarket Kingsbury Estate on the outskirts of Bulawayo have raised concerns over what they describe as poor communication regarding water and sewer reticulation services at the rapidly growing residential development.
The concerns come as more homeowners begin construction at the estate, which developers say is now fully sold out.
Some homeowners who spoke to CITE on condition of anonymity said that although infrastructure installation was visible on the ground, there was still uncertainty around timelines and procedures for accessing key services.
“The developer at Kingsbury is failing to communicate effectively with homeowners. The estate is now 100 percent sold out and many homeowners have already started building, yet several challenges remain unresolved,” said one homeowner.
Homeowners said they wanted clarity on issues such as ablution facilities for construction workers and the process of connecting completed homes to the water and sewer infrastructure already installed at the estate.
“There is still no clear communication regarding ablution facilities for builders or timelines for water connections to the installed pipes,” another homeowner said.
“It is concerning that homeowners have to individually visit the office just to get updates, only to receive information that sometimes conflicts with statements later shared in the homeowners’ WhatsApp group.”
According to homeowners, a WhatsApp group established to facilitate interaction and discussions around development issues has increasingly become a platform for complaints over communication gaps and service delivery concerns.
Some homeowners also questioned whether uMguza Rural District Council had the capacity to effectively manage the fast-growing settlement, with more families expected to move into the area by the end of the year.
“Homeowners need clarity, transparency and regular updates on infrastructure and service delivery because, by year-end, many more households are likely to be living there without access to some essential amenities,” another homeowner said.
However, Radar Properties Executive Director Walter Zimunya dismissed claims that the estate lacked adequate services, saying the required infrastructure was already in place and that water and sewer connections are only activated once construction has been completed and approved.
He said the developers had entered into an arrangement with the Bulawayo City Council to provide water and sewer services because of limited capacity at uMguza Rural District Council.
“As Radar, the developers of King City, we provide adequate services, including tarred roads, piped water and reticulated sewer systems in all our developments where necessary, particularly within Kingsbury Estate,” said Zimunya.
“We already have water and sewer connections, but these are only activated upon completion of construction.”
Zimunya explained that homeowners are required to complete construction before the final inspection and certification process can be carried out.
“When construction is complete, there is a final phase on the inspection card that must be signed off and stamped by the inspector. Once that is done, we then engage the relevant authorities, who bring in their technicians to complete the final water and sewer connections,” he said.
He added that the estate had introduced temporary water supply measures to assist homeowners during the construction phase.
“As Kingsbury Estate, we have drilled a solar-powered borehole with a 30 000-litre reservoir. This water is available 24 hours a day for homeowners to use for construction and domestic purposes,” said Zimunya.
He also dismissed claims that homeowners were being encouraged to install septic tanks while waiting for sewer connections, saying such systems were not permitted within the estate.
“Septic tanks are not allowed in Kingsbury Estate. We only have septic tanks in Windsor Park, which is our large-stand development with stands above 2 000 square metres,” he said.
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