Harare City Council Moves to Clear Abandoned Vehicles from Car Parks and Public Spaces

By Tendai Chisiri

Harare –The City of Harare has launched a crackdown on abandoned and broken-down vehicles scattered across guarded overnight car parks, shopping centres, open spaces, and residential streets, warning owners to remove them within seven days or face penalties.

In a statement issued by Acting Town Clerk Eng. P.M. Moyo on 23 October 2025, the local authority reminded residents that keeping non-functional vehicles in these areas is illegal and contributes to urban decay.

*”Lessees of Guarded Overnight Car Parks must with immediate effect remove broken down vehicles, car shells and scrap from the Car Parks,”* the statement reads.

Should vehicle owners fail to act, the Council will take matters into its own hands, removing the abandoned vehicles at the cost of the lessees or owners. The vehicles will then be relocated to junkyards or designated sites for disused vehicles, where they will be stored for disposal or auctioning.

The City is also appealing to the public to report abandoned vehicles left in car parks, open spaces, or along roadsides to assist in enforcing the clean-up effort.

This move forms part of Harare’s broader urban renewal and cleanliness drive under the city’s vision to become a world-class city.