A Court Stopped a Church Being Built in a Suburb. Residents Say a Council Official Then Waved It Through

• Fourteen Borrowdale residents took a United Methodist church project to court
• The High Court halted construction and operations on 5 June 2025
• The judge said a planning permit alone did not authorise the church to operate
• Residents say a council official then issued a temporary permit

A dispute over a church being built on a residential plot in Harare escalated after a council official was accused of undermining a court ruling, AllAfrica reported on 7 July 2025. Fourteen residents of Borrowdale took the United Methodist Church’s Borrowdale Circuit to court over its project on Doveton Street.

The church had obtained a town planning permit from Harare City Council for a change of land use on the residential property. But on 5 June 2025, in case HCH 2095/23, Justice Munangati-Manongwa ruled that the permit alone did not allow the church to operate without clearance from health services and the chief fire officer. A site visit had found inadequate toilet facilities, no designated parking and insufficient water supply. “The applicants’ right to peaceful occupation of their houses having been infringed by the first respondent’s unlawful conduct, an interdict is the appropriate remedy,” the judge said.

Residents then accused Samuel Nyabezi, the council’s acting director of urban planning services, of issuing a temporary permit from his office that allowed construction to continue. “There’s no justification for overriding a High Court order with a hastily issued temporary permit,” a residents’ representative said. Another neighbour asked: “How does a church get allocated land in a purely residential zone without any designated provision for religious activities?”

The dispute dates back to 2016. According to the report, the church’s original permit lapsed because construction did not begin within the required two years.

The case shows how a church’s plans can collide with neighbours’ property rights and why planning approvals are only part of the picture. Health, fire and parking requirements can decide whether a building may actually be used.

Jamaican congregations building on residential lots face the same questions. Before breaking ground, a church should confirm the zoning, secure all the approvals it needs, and talk with neighbours about parking, noise and water. Cutting corners, or leaning on a sympathetic official, can end with a half-built sanctuary, a court order and a damaged witness in the community.

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