West View College was built without approval of Masvingo RDC, and provincial offices of the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education
Upenyu Chaota
Masvingo businessman Philimon Mutangiri is facing mounting legal and bureaucratic challenges after building a new private school on the outskirts of town without obtaining the requisite documentation.
West View College is situated in Clovelly along the Masvingo Bulawayo Road next to Dhiyo business centre. The land falls under the jurisdiction of Masvingo Rural District Council whose offices are at Nemanwa Growth Point.
In late 2023, West View College flighted an enrolment advert specifying that the school would open doors for the first time in January 2024, but that did not happen.
It has since been discovered that the school is still battling to get the requisite registration paperwork long after much of the construction work has been completed.
When EnviroPress contacted him for comment, Mutangiri admitted that he did not have requisite documentation from Masvingo Rural District Council (RDC) because the local authority had charged him exorbitantly for it.
“The money that they demanded far exceeded the value of the land. We then told them that we were going to start construction works and would deal with their administration fees later. This time, we will not be stopped from enrolling pupils by someone who does not want to give us a registration piece of paper,” said Mutangiri, vowing to open the school in January 2025.
“The country is in dire need for schools so some bureaucratic red tapes cannot stop people from building schools. Education is very important and we have seen in some cases people learning under trees,” he said.
The businessman, who also owns the prominent Riverton Academy, hinted that he would operate his new school as a satellite until all registration processes were complete.
“There are a lot of schools that operate as satellites and have their pupils take exams elsewhere,” said Mutangiri in reference to West View College’s unregistered status.
“We have submitted to education officials all the papers required of us, and we wait to hear from them. We have both primary and secondary facilities,” said Mutangiri.
However, sources with knowledge of the details said Mutangiri had failed to submit site plans for the school project, and had constructed buildings without a council resolution according to provisions of the Rural District Councils Act, Education Act, and Regional, Town and Country Planning Act.
Section 22 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act [Chapter 29:12] deals with development plans of the proposed development, including the land use, building design, and infrastructure requirements.
Section 23 covers the approval process for development plans that need to obtain approval from the relevant planning authority before commencing construction, while section 24 deals with building regulations and bylaws that set standards for construction materials, structural integrity, and safety measures.
Westend College was allegedly found to be unsuitably sited at a place too close to a major highway, a situation which poses grave danger to the safety of children.
“The law is clear — any new educational institution must be vetted for safety and compliance with local regulations. Without these approvals, the school cannot be officially recognized,” said an official who spoke on condition of anonymity.
The source said Mutangiri was now desperately trying to sort out the papers in retrospect.
“It is not going to be easy for him because he deliberately chose to disregard local offices and the regulations with which he is very familiar. It’s about his own hubris backfiring,” said the source.
Masvingo RDC Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Martin Mubviro said he was not aware that the buildings were meant for a school.
“What school are you talking about? Is that a school? I was not aware it was a school, all I saw were beautiful structures being built as I travelled along the road,” said Mubviro.
Masvingo Provincial Education Director (PED) Shylet Mhike said West View College was not in their data base, and that she had all along believed that the buildings were part of the Great Zimbabwe University’s Simon Mazorodze School of Medical and Health Sciences.
“We haven’t registered a school of that sort. I don’t know that there is any school to talk about in the first place. I just passed by and saw buildings being built, and I thought it was part of the university.
“If it’s a school, then a lot of work would have to be done. They would need to go back and do things the right way from the start,” said Mhike.
Although registration certificates for new schools are issued in Harare by the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education, the process is guided by the work and reports produced by local authorities, and by provincial education and health officials who have to carry out scheduled physical inspections before and during construction work.
Section 15 of the Education Act [Chapter 25:04] outlines the requirements for registering a non-government or private school, including the application process, necessary documentation, and approval.
Last updated on 16/12/2024
