1

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Acknowledgements2
Introduction........3
Background of Organisation..4
Mission and Vision Statement...8
Organisational Corporate Values...9
Long Term Goals...10
Purpose of MOC....11
Financial Performance...11
Communication system of the Organisation......13
Organisational Structure....14
Main Planning tasks undertaken....26
Drawing office...................26
Site Analysis......27
Draughting28
Surveys.....28
Layout Designing.30
Computer Aided Designing.32
Development Control...33
Building Plan Approval and Building Inspections..........36
Regional/Rural Planning......38
Report Writing.38
Challenges Faced.39
Conclusion41
Appendix...44

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2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

Isaac Newton once said, If I have been able to see further than others it is because I have
stood on the shoulders of giants. This report would not have been possible without the efforts
of a number of people whose contributions have made a difference and inspired me to soldier
on.
My gratitude goes to the Harare Polytechnic Engineering Department staff that has shared their
vast knowledge and has so much assisted me before and during my industrial attachment,
many heartfelt thanks for the support. I would like to extend my sincere gratitude to the
inexplicably kind, warm hearted and dedicated management and staff of Municipality of
Chinhoyi for their unwavering support and for giving me an opportunity to learn from the
company and also making my industrial attachment a success. Particular mention and
appreciation goes to the Engineering Department where I spent the whole year on attachment,
special thanks to Mr S Gumbo and Mr M Munyapwa for their generous and maximum
supervision during my attachment. As my supervisors ,they offered support which in turn gave
me perseverance so as to become better and not bitter in tough times. They saw me not just as
a student but someone who was eager to learn.
On a personal note I would like to thank my family and friends for their support and
encouragement in all the hardships that I faced during the attachment period, their support
gave me the courage to pursue my profession and also encouraged me through this continuous
learning process, however after all has been said only the Lord made it possible.

God bless you all.

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INTRODUCTION

The critical importance of Civil Engineering to national development cannot be overruled as it

involves the intricate details of understanding the requirements of the town and its various
divisions and utilizing the land to the best of benefit. This report serves to explain the
fulfillment of the tasks and duties that are of paramount importance to urban planning. It also
fulfills the requirements of the National Diploma in Urban and Regional Planning on the job
training (OJET) which the student attended for the year 2015. The student attended her ND2
course at Chinhoyi Municipality from the 2ndof February and was able to prepare this
accompanying report with issues pertaining to Civil Engineering, relating to what the student
did for the whole year. During the course of the year 2016, the student was exposed to the
comprehensive water and sewer reticulation and road maintenance of the town of Chinhoyi.
The report provides specific information on the organizational structure, organizational
business, and departmental duties, main civil engineering tasks undertaken by the student and
challenges that were faced during the year. The student underwent this training and in the end
became aware of the main purpose of civil engineering that is to know the role of the civil
engineering technician in the built environment.
The student came to realize that civil engineering is a technical profession, an endeavor
involving political will and public participation and is an academic discipline. The profession
involves the design, maintenance and construction of the physical and natural built
environment, including road works, water and sewer reticulation, bridges and buildings.

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BACKGROUND OF THE ORGANISATION

Municipality of Chinhoyi is a local authority which was enacted by an act of parliament, the
Urban Councils Act Chapter 29.15 in order to deliver services and promote development at
local level as a means towards raising the standards of living of urban populations.
The historical development of the municipality can be traced back to the last quarter of the
19th century during the colonial era. In about 1893 there was so much activity in and around
Chinhoyi as people were searching for gold and other minerals and it became necessary to
establish some sort of control in the area and a Police Post was established on the site of the
present day Chinhoyi, it was called Sinoia by then. Shortly after that, civil administration was set
up and the opening of a District Commissioner's office, soon there was a general dealer store, a
blacksmith, a wagon repair works, a small hotel and more stores followed.
The first civic authority was a Village Management Board appointed in 1914 to run the water
supply system and operate refuse removal service and other sanitary matters .The village
management board lasted until 1946 when, because of the growth of the town, it was elevated
to a Town Management Board (TMB) and the town continued to grow through the TMB. The
TMB which was established in 1946 lasted until 1974 when the town was elevated to Municipal
status. This therefore means that Chinhoyi Municipality was established in 1974 on the 1st of
July and the first Mayor was elected on that day. To date the Municipal council consists of 16
councillors, one of whom is chosen by the councillors as a Ceremonial Mayor.
Chinhoyi town is the capital city of Mashonaland west province and is situated 115km north-
west of Harare. It is a home for several government ministries and departments at provincial
level; this means the whole of Mashonaland West is administered by Chinhoyi. It administers a
highway road that links Zimbabwe and Zambia; it also controls a wonderful tourist resort place
that is Chinhoyi caves.
Chinhoyi University of Technology has on another hand boosted the population of Chinhoyi as
thousands of students are recruited every year thereby changing the demographic structure of
the town. Situated close to the university is the superb CUT Hotel which has attracted a lot
people for conferences both public and private. This hotel has actually face lifted the outlook of
the town Chinhoyi .

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One cannot talk about Chinhoyi Municipality without mentioning the battle of 1966 as it
explains the political history of Chinhoyi Municipality. The battle was fought in Chinhoyi
adjacent to the site where the provincial heroes acre is situated today and at this site is a
national shrine hence of national importance.

Fig 1: Artwork portraying the Seven Heroes

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Prior to independence (1980), housing provision for the Black African Townships of Chinhoyi
(that is, Gadzema, Mpata, Chitambo and Hunyani) and Chikonohono, (also commonly referred
to as native areas) came in the form of rented married accommodations and single quarters.
Homeownership was only for the white in the Low density residential areas of Mzari (Umzari
then) and Orange Groove.
It was only after Independence in April 1980 that the Municipality, in compliance with
Government policy, started to grant home ownership to sitting tenants of the houses in the
high density areas, a process which has seen the majority of the old houses which
accommodated mostly black Zimbabweans converted to home ownership.
Chinhoyi Municipality has embarked on a number of housing projects since independence in
response to the demand for home ownership by local residents.

In terms of the Urban Policy Housing implementation Manual, a waiting list was developed as a
planning and allocating tool for houses and residential stands serviced by public funds. Major
projects implemented after independence include Chaedza USAID Housing project(1985/86),
Gunhill (1988) with 617 stands ,Brundish World Bank Urban projects of 1995-1997 with 1001
stands, Chikonohono and Tangwena USAID projects 1996 with 236 stands. Rusununguko pay
scheme (2001) with 700 stands and Ruvimbo Phase 1 (2001) with 964 stands and various in fill
stands created on areas which were originally zoned as open spaces. The government of
Zimbabwe has also implemented pay schemes at Rusununguko and Brundish where more than
500 stands were allocated to the Council.

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Fig 2: Aerial photograph of Chinhoyi

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Fig 3: Aerial photograph of Chinhoyi CBD

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8
MISSION STATEMENT

Mission refers to the organizations purpose or fundamental reason for existence therefore it is
a broad declaration of the basic, unique purpose and scope of operations that distinguishes the
organization from others. Therefore Chinhoyi Municipalitys mission is:

Committed to the efficient and effective delivery of total quality services to its
stakeholders.

VISION STATEMENT

Vision refers to the road map of a companys future, providing specific information about
technology and customer focus, the capabilities it plans to develop and the kind of company
that the management is trying to create clearing avenues for investment opportunities in the
town, hence becoming a preferred industrial zone. Therefore Chinhoyi Municipalitys vision is:

To become an industrialized city of preference in Zimbabwe.

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ORGANISATIONAL CORPORATE VALUES

Transparency
Equal opportunities
Economy
Good corporate gorvenance
A motivated workforce
Stakeholder satisfaction
A learning organization

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LONG TERM GOALS

To become an industrialized city of preference in Zimbabwe

This long term goal is in accordance with the vision statement of Municipality of Chinhoyi.
Chinhoyi has enough land for expansion and it aims at servicing it for industrial purposes and to
improve road network for easy transportation of goods produced in the industries. This would
draw investors into the city to accelerate development. Chinhoyi is surrounded by large arable
land and if utilized would become a viable industrial city through peri-urban agricultural
activities.

Attainment of a city status

Chinhoyi Municipality is targeting that within a period of ten years it would reach the city status
tag. It was given a municipal status during the colonial era, and now targets at expanding the
town as well as promoting its systems of operations.

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PURPOSE OF MUNICIPALITY OF CHINHOYI
To provide a coordinated approach in service provision covering basic needs such as housing,
education, sewer and water, roads maintenance and health facilities amongst others.

FINANCIAL PERFOMANCE

Sources of finance
Charges ,fees ,interests and rates
- Refuse collection fees
- Street lighting fees
- Cession fees
- Development fees
- Interest received
- Artisan registration fees
- Burial fees
- Housing waiting list
- Water bills etc.
Facilities
- Hire of vehicles
- Offices
- beerhalls
- community halls
- Houses and social recreational facilities.

Licensing
-Liquor licenses
-shop licenses
-vending licenses
- Hoarding permits
Grants/loans

- loans from banks and other financial institutions

- ZINARA
-government grants and loans

Achievements
MOC managed to pay back loans from FBC and ZB bank
The council managed to do road resurfacing, repair traffic lights and patch potholes along
Robson Manyika this was a success despite the financial constraints.

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COMMUNICATION SYSTEM OF THE ORGANISATION

Meetings- top management meets every week to discuss day to day operation of the
organization. The council committees which include the councilors from each
department hold meetings monthly as well as the full council. They are used to assess
and evaluate progress within areas of operations.

Telephone-telephone is used to communicate both internally and externally

Memos-written documents that are used to send and receive information internally.

Monthly reports- each department prepares reports monthly which provides

information on their activities.

Emails-the organization is connected to a wireless internet, and the management and

coworkers as well as other stakeholders use emails to communicate. There is Chinhoyi
city an email account used by employees to communicate internally

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ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE

TOWN
CLERK

DIRECTOR OF DIRECTOR OF
CHAMBER DIRECTOR OF DIRECTOR OF
HEALTH ENGINEERING
SECRETARY HOUSING FINANCE
SERVICES SERVICES

DEPUTY DEPUTY
DIRECTOR OF DIRECTOR OF
HEALTH FINANCE

TOWN HRM ESTATES

PLANNER OFFICER INTERNAL
S.E.H.O
AUDITOR

Fig 4: Organizational structure

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ENGINEERING SERVICES DEPARTMENT

This department is responsible for mechanical engineering, road maintenance and any other
maintenance works. It is the service wing of council responsible for project implementation. It is
headed by the Town Engineer. The Town Planning section where the student was attached falls
under this department as well as sections like works, electrical & fitting, workshops, roads,
water and sewer. The engineering services department contributes to the overall town purpose
by providing many services and public work facilities. These ranges from such fundamental
services as water supply, sewerage drainage, refuse removal, street access and lighting. The
department provides basic public works which are essential in any urban community. It has
kept pace by providing essential services in quantity and size needed to support the town's
population and employment.
The engineering department provides for the engineering services relating to the design and
construction of city infrastructure projects as well as the management and oversight of the
currently existing projects. Responsibilities include providing service related to engineering
issues included in public and private development, traffic control, road construction and
maintenance, maintenance of sewer blockages and water management.
During the year 2014, no major breakdowns were experienced on all water treatment works.
There were little interruptions to provision of portable water, there has been consistent supply
of rationed wholesome water to promote hygiene and sanitation practices. All reported sewer
blockages were attended to within 24 hours of receiving reports.
Town planning section The student was attached to the town planning section which is under
the Engineering Services Department. The section has many responsibilities, among them
designing layout plans, development control, draughting, surveys, site analysis as well as site
inspections around Chinhoyi. This section provides a variety of technical and administrative
support functions for the city in terms of infrastructure development as well as activities that
contribute towards council revenue.

Fig 4: Engineering Organizational Structure see fig. next page

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 DIRECTOR OF
ENGINEERING
SERVICES

P.A TO
TOWN DIRECTOR OF CIVIL
PLANNER ENGINEERING ENGINEER
SERVICES

TOWN WATER AND

SURVEY ROADS
PLANNING SEWER
TECHNICIAN TECHNICIAN
TECHNICIAN TECHNICIAN

SURVEY BULDING
ASSISTANT INSPECTOR

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ADMINISTRATION DEPARTMENT

This department is responsible for the overall administration of the local authority as a whole
and is headed by the Town Clerk. This department is very vital to the organization as it works
across all other departments and provides security and safety for the organization employees, a
role that every organization strives to achieve. The Human Resources Department, Secretariat
and Security section fall under this department. The department covers the general
administration of MOC as a whole and it overseas all other departments. The organisational
structure of the department is presented below;

TOWN
CLERK

C/SECURITY PRIVATE CHAMBER C/INTERNAL

OFFICER SECRETARY SECRETARY AUDITOR

D/SECURITY PRIVATE INTERNAL

HRM
OFFICER SECRETARY AUDITOR

RECEPTIONIST,REGI
SECURITY STRY REGISTRY WAGES
SNR MESSENGER
OFFICER CLERK,PERSONAL OFFICER CLERK
ASSISTANT

SERGEANT MESSENGER

CONSTABLE

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THE FINANCE/TREASURY DEPARTMENT

The Treasury department is responsible for overall administration of all financial obligations of
the organization, implementation of the budget and the allocation of financial resources to
their respective departments.
It is also responsible for executing the accounting function ensuring that there is a workable
and effective accounting system in Chinhoyi. The Town Treasurer heads this department which
is the revenue collection arm of council .The department has five sections namely Revenue,
Expenditure, Central Buying Unit, Stores and Data processing. The treasury department ensures
that every department is accountable for its income and expenditure through accounting
systems and audit practice.

DFS

D/DFS

REVENUE SYSTEMS EXPENDITURE STORES

ACCOUNTANT ADMINSRATOR ACCOUNTANT SUPERVIS
OR
REVENUE SNR ACCOUNTING DATA CREDITOR
PROCESSING BUYER
OFFICER ASSISTANT S STORES
SUPERVISOR CONTROL CLERK
REVENUE METER ACCOUNTIN
CLERK READERS G CLERKS DATA CREDITORS
SUPERVISO CAPTURE CLERK
R CLERK
METER
READERS/DEBT
COLLECTORS

Fig 6:Treasury Organizational Structure

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HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The department is responsible for the delivery of curative health services, environmental
(public health), regulation of public health issues, social welfare services and commonage and
civil protection. Chinhoyi municipality operates three clinics for the provision of health services
to Chinhoyi residents which are Chinhoyi, Chikonohono and Alaska clinics.
The health services department plays a greater role in improving service delivery by
maintaining and promoting a health environment and providing accessible and affordable
health services. The health department involves communities in health primitive activities and
encouraged residents to adopt health lifestyles.
The department renovated Chinhoyi clinic to create a separate TB unit. In terms of solid waste
management, the department has planned daily collections at the market, weekly at residential
areas and daily in the industrial and CBD. Sanitary land fill had to be established and the EIA
was in process, clean up campaigns were done and stakeholders 30 bins which were distributed
in the CBD. There were 13 brick wall communal bins to be constructed of which at the time this
report was written, 8 were complete while the other five were still under construction. 7
communal steel bins had to be fixed, 5 were almost complete and 2 at design stage, 11 x 200
litre bins were also placed in town. There was also the renovation of public toilets.

Structure of the Department, see fig. on next page

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Fig 7: Health Organisational Structure

HOUSING AND COMMUNITY SERVICES DEPARTMENT

The department is responsible for the provision and administration of public housing & facilities
and the provision and promotion of community services. The department is also charged with
the responsibility of allocating residential, commercial and industrial stands .It is headed by the
Director of Housing and Community Services. The sections that fall under the department are
estates, housing office, library, education & parks, cemeteries and community services.
The department allocates industrial stands to residents. The conditions for acquiring industrial
stands are very favourable and this has contributed so much in encouraging and promoting
investment in the town of Chinhoyi.
The department has the following responsibilities:
Increasing home ownership opportunities especially for low income families. Increase
availability of affordable housing opportunities. Facilitating the provision of affordable
housing to meet identified needs. Managing the councils existing housing stock. Increasing
access to decent housing. Identifying and implementing solutions to traffic congestion.
Supporting and promoting local business. Revitalizing town centres.

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The Housing Department has managed to engage housing cooperatives in servicing stands at St
Ives and the due process has started. Council has been selling stands at St Ives and beneficiaries
have been asked to pay 60% deposits to enable stand servicing, the balance to be paid over 12
months. Council will be the contractor for the stand servicing, beneficiaries will be shown
serviced stands. Another layout plan was approved which has +/- 700 stands. Almost 2300
stands started being allocated in 2014.

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ORGANISATIONAL BUSINESS
The core business of Municipality of Chinhoyi is the functions that are specified in the
legislation that is the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29.15. The main activities of a local authority
are to deliver services and promote development at a local level so as to raise the standards of
living of the urban population and the achievement of the citys strategic goal of being the
industrialised city of preference in Zimbabwe. It is mandated to bring services closer to the
people .Some of these services include health services, housing services, water and sewerage,
road construction and maintenance, parking services and refuse removal as explained briefly
below:
a) Housing and Community Service
The municipality has a mandate to provide housing services to its people within the area of its
jurisdiction as legislated in the Urban Councils Act Chapter 29.15. Like any other local authority
Municipality of Chinhoyi has housing townships namely Gadzema, Mpata, Chitambo, Hunyani
and Chikonohono. The housing department is responsible for the allocation of residential
stands to residences and works hand in hand with the engineering department in making sure
that the stands are serviced and services such as sewer and water are of high quality. b) Road
Construction and Maintenance

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Chinhoyi has 264km of road networks and this is subdivided into 53km arterial, 49 km collector,
8km Central Business District roads and 154 km local roads which should be maintained and
kept in good condition.
It is also the business of Chinhoyi municipality to construct more roads and to maintain existing
roads in Chinhoyi to be used by both residence and outsiders who have the right to use such
roads.
c) Health Services
It is the mandate of council to provide health services to its residents. In this regard
Municipality of Chinhoyi has Chikonohono, Chinhoyi and Alaska clinics which operate efficiently
to provide health services to its stakeholders. One clinic is still under construction and is
situated in the low density area known as Mzari. These clinics provide subsidised fees to its
residences so as to aid affordability. This department makes sure that the Chinhoyi
environment is conducive for business by cleaning dumpsites and inspection of residences and
workplace premises so that they meet the health specifications. The health department is also
responsible for conducting cleaning campaigns such as the recently bin it cleaning campaign.
d) Public Parking
Chinhoyi Municipality (MOC) provides adequate parking space to its residence as every street
has provision for public parking in the Central Business District (CBD). This is in line with the
Urban Councils Act Chapter 29.15which states that its the mandate of the local authority to
provide enough parking spaces for all stakeholders. The council has parking officers that collect
parking fees from those utilising the parking lots in the CBD and this is in line with Section
189(2) of the Urban Councils Act which specifies that a municipal council may purchase
parking meters and other devices for the control of the parking of motor vehicles and may
install and maintain such meters or other devices in any place set aside by the council for the
parking of motor vehicles and on any road.
e) Refuse Collection
Municipality of Chinhoyi collects refuse from its residents. The service of refuse collection is
associated with health issues and it is the duty of the municipality to make sure that refuse is
collected and bins are emptied and repaired and worn out bins are replaced. Effective refuse
collection will reduce the risk of diseases.
Other stakeholders such as Chinhoyi University of Technology and Mhanyame Primary school
have donated bins and mantled them on very sensitive areas in the town such as bus stations
and vendor markets. It is also the duty of the local authority to organise cleaning campaigns
where possible.
f) Water Supply
It is the mandate of Municipality of Chinhoyi to supply water to the people for domestic,
commercial, or industrial use. The council in accordance with Water Act [Chapter 20:22] take
such measures and construct such works, whether inside or outside the council area. In this
regard MOC operates Hunyani water pumping stations to supply enough water to its
residences. MOC is still struggling since there are some parts of Chinhoyi which are not supplied
with any water, these includes the Katanda section and some parts of Ruvimbo suburb,
however the council has managed to curb this problem by supplying water to Katanda
residence in January.
g) Sewerage Disposal

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It is the responsibility of Municipality of Chinhoyi to construct sewerage disposal systems to its
residence. This promotes good health to residents since all disposals will be controlled by the
local authority and also if there is any sewerage blockages, it can be quickly rectified. Also the
local authority is responsible for maintaining already constructed sewer systems. Chinhoyi
municipality with the help of donors has managed to renovate the sewer systems by installing
new waste sucking pumps and replacing worn out pipes to reduce pipe bursts.

OTHER ORGANISATIONAL INFORMATION

Logistics
Logistics is the management of the flow of goods between the point of origin and the point of
consumption in order to meet some requirements, it is also the planning, implementing and
controlling the effective and efficient flow of goods and services from the point of origin to the
point of consumption.
The finance department do the purchasing of goods. The administration department through
the registry office does the distribution of the resources to all other departments.
Investments
The council has limited investments of its own. However the town is situated in an economically
sound farming hinterland, with a number of small and large scale farmers it draws investors
into the city to accelerate development within the town. It is surrounded by large arable land. If
utilized well, it will become a viable industrial city through agricultural activities.
Strategies
A strategy is a plan of action designed to achieve a long-term or overall aim. Several strategies
are being employed by the council to achieve their goals in service delivery.

Production
The council is a service provider so there is no production of goods, It s a non profit making
organisation.
Marketing
Marketing is the process communicating the value of a service to the customer. In April the
council in conjunction with the a nongovernmental organization GIZ, managed to do customer
care training as well as customer care launch at Chinhoyi stadium with the purpose of
marketing MOC and its services to the residents.
Managements Approach to Procurement
Procurement is done by the finance department. The stores and accounts do all the purchasing
whilst requisitions are done by all the departments.
Staffing
Staffing is done by the Human resource department.
Financing
MOC is a government parastatal; it is usually financed by capital from grants. It is also financed
by revenue from rate payers.

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Technological Development
The organisation uses Promun system, software used for billing, printing of statements,
enquiries of water and estates balances. The Promun system uses the Progress database to
store information.

Survey works done during attachment period include beacon hand over by registered land
surveyors. Cadastral survey is done after the approval of a proposed layout plan there by
producing general plans for the surveyed stands. Beacons were handed over to Chinhoyi
Municipality in July 2015 for survey work done on Chinhoyi Central Business District by
Chigumete Land Surveyors. The Industrial site near CBD was also surveyed by Matavire Land
Surveyors and beacons were handed over in June 2015. Beacon handover is done after pegging,
concreting and placement of tags. Land use surveys were done in the CBD to monitor levels of
development and land ownership. These stands were issued in 1995, that is 20 years back but
still at a low level of development, however repossession has been done but still no marked
development. Stands in the CBD are repossessed after 5 years but since then the land is not yet
developed. Almost 40% of the stands have been developed whilst the rest only contain
temporary structures, some owners are practicing agriculture. These stands issued on the CBD
Layout of 1995 are 675m2 in size but even though, the owners are being encouraged to extend
vertically to curb land shortages as well as to provide parking space. Some of the reasons for
underdevelopment include economic incapability and some of the owners are in the Diaspora
as far as England and USA among others.
The student was also exposed to social surveys, housing surveys on water, sewer (reticulated or
septic tanks), and numbers of people at each household, use of property and refuse bins.

24
Compilation and analysis of this data was done, this being meant to address urban problems
like shortages of water supply and provision of reticulated sewer.
This data in the end would help in achieving some of the town planning goals like health and
safety, aesthetics as well as providing those services missing in the society.
Other fieldwork done by the student was the setting out a classroom block in Chinhoyis Rujeko
high density suburb. To initiate the programme, a site visit was conducted by the Town planner,
the Building inspector, survey assistants and the student; this was done to ensure how work
was to be done the following day (Reconnaissance). Boundary pegs were identified first, a
building line of 9m was left and then setting out of the block was proceeded.

30
Setting out of the block involved the use of some survey techniques like dropping a
perpendicular with a tape which was done to ensure that the corners of the block are exactly
of an angle of 90.
4.5 Layout Designing Layout plans fall within the hierarchy of plans which are prepared in
Zimbabwe, they are prepared for the purpose of subdividing land both privately owned and
publicly owned as well as state land. This means that all layout plans drawn have to give
detailed and specific layout proposals on the map, the plan has to be accompanied by a report.
During the attachment period the student was exposed to layout designing which is an
important aspect of his training, exposure to the layout approval process, design of a Layout
plan for Hunyani infill which is one of Chinhoyis oldest high density suburbs.
The student was exposed to the amendments of existing layout plans among them including
the proposed medium density residential layout plan for Remainder of St Ives. The designing of
layout plans encompasses three aspects, the layout plan itself, a land inspection map and a
locality map. These three combined together are submitted to the physical planning
Department for consultation. The land inspection map shows the areas which are developable,
not developable or those areas which pose a danger for development. The locality map is
sourced from the Surveyor Generals office and usually of scale 1:50 000, it serves to show the
location of the planning area in relation to the surrounding areas.
The student was able to complete the designing and the layout plan was submitted for
consultation with the relevant authorities. Since Chinhoyi is the provincial capital of
Mashonaland West, the offices of Physical Planning are located there at provincial level where
the plans are submitted.
The student attended to several comments on layout plans, these coming from the Department
of Physical Planning. Three layout plans were submitted for consultation hence the comments
received where attended to. Layout plans were as follows:
- Chinhoyi CBD commercial - Mapako low density residential - Hunyani High Density layout

31
Attending to comments on layout plans means that the student would be amending the
proposed design and in the end coming up with a design that conforms to the town planning
standards.
The layout approval process is of vital importance in the studies of Urban and Regional
Planning. This involves comments from relevant organisations which are consulted before the

25
approval of the layout plan by the relevant authority that is the Department of Physical
Planning. Layout plans are approved by the Director of Physical Planning in terms of section 43
of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, Chapter 29:12.
The student came to realise the role of the other departments or professions in the layout
design process. When all comments from the Physical planning department have been
attended to, stand numbers are put on the diagram and six copies of the layout plan are
produced. These are submitted to several government departments which are: - Ministry of
Transport - Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority (ZESA) - Environmental Management Agency
(EMA) - Department of Physical Planning
These departments are of paramount importance in the Layout plan design process as their
input will help come up with a layout that suits the spatial arrangement of the physical
environment. In the case of EMA, an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) is required so as
to know the effects of the proposed development to the environment. The input of the
Ministry of Transport is required if there is need of opening junctions on state roads, like
through roads or freeways.
This therefore means that town planners do not work in isolation hence the need to involve
such other different departments and professions (surveyors and engineers), this is done to
allow for coordinated development.
A layout plan is accompanied by a report; the student was able to prepare layout plan reports
for Mapako low density commercial centre, Chinhoyi central business district commercial area
and Hunyani high density residential area. This report explains in details the background of the
layout plan, that is who prepared the layout (local authority) and reason towards the
preparation of such for example the goal of alleviating the shortage of residential stands. The
layout report serves to show the purpose of the layout, location, geology, vegetation and soils,

32
existing infrastructure, slopes/drainage, existing planning framework,
constraints/opportunities, layout plan proposals, the implementation and phasing of
developments.
Pertaining to layout plans, the students input was needed upon consultation by the
Department of Physical Planning over layout plans brought in by private developers. Various
cooperatives were allocated land by council; this land is now being subdivided to come up with
high density residential stands so in order for the layout plan to be approved there was need
for consulting the local authority which is Chinhoyi Municipality. The private developers were as
follows: - Tabula Rasa - Full Pastures - Womens Development Trust - Destiny of Africa
This was a very interesting task as it tested the students knowledge on layout designing. The
student realised that in most drawings, the designers were ignorant of leaving buffers on
district distributors such as the Chinhoyi-Chegutu highway. These roads carry huge volumes of
traffic and considering the design speed, it will not be safe for the residents. Commenting on
these layout plans was actually a wonderful experience.
4.6 Computer Aided Designing Computer-aided design (CAD) is a computer technology that
designs a product and documents the design's process.

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CAD may facilitate the manufacturing process by transferring detailed diagrams of a products
materials, processes, tolerances and dimensions with specific conventions for the product in
question. It can be used to produce either two- dimensional or three-dimensional diagrams,
which can then when rotated to be viewed from any angle, even from the inside looking out. A
special printer or plotter is usually required for printing professional design renderings.
The student was exposed to this concept when he drew a low density residential layout plan for
Hunyani Area, preparation of the land inspection map and tracing the locality map from an SG
Map using AUTO CAD. The student came to realize several advantages of using CAD

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as it is very fast to design a layout using CAD than doing it manually. Using CAD has high
accuracy that is few mistakes are encountered particularly when things are being copied. Unlike
the manual way repeated tracing can result in alteration of the diagram hence conveying false
information. CAD allows for sharing of data, ease of storage and access as well as increased
productivity.
The student can say that it is much favourable to use Computer aided designing than the
manual way and was able to draw a residential layout plan, see Insert 1,part of the Layout plan.
As we are now in a computerized world all information is better kept on the computer hence all
town planning designs ranging from layout plans, site plans, house plans among others could be
shared within and without the organisation.
4.7 Development Control According to the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act Chapter
29:12 section 22, development refers to the carrying out of any activity in, on, over or under
the land of any building or mining operations, carrying out activities on behalf of the local
authority, altering the character of the use of any land or building among other activities that
can be carried out. Town planning is therefore a tool of controlling such developments so that
they will not cause a nuisance to the environment, zoning of land uses, offering permits and
licences. Development control is done by either permitting or not permitting any activity that
has been proposed on any land or building.
The RTCP Act Chapter 29:12 explains on section 24 the control of development as such
development that is permitted subject to its provisions or by any such other development
order.
The town planning section of Chinhoyi Municipality has the mandate of controlling any such
activities, the main means of communication being through letters, development orders,
registration forms and such other necessary application forms. Written communication saw the
student being involved in auctioning files; the general public would have written application
letters as requests to carry out various activities, in return being offered permits. Application
letters received during attachment include the following:
- Application for kiosks The general public would apply for vacant places to put Econet,
Nettcash or Telecel cabins which they were offered by the respective companies. Development
was therefore initiated as

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the booths were only to be placed at shopping centres. The student would write letters to the
applicants in pursuant to their requests, either by offering the proposed site or objecting to the

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proposals. - Application for change of use Applicants were advised that in order for council to
process the application for change of use, a complete application should be submitted. This
includes a completed application form from the Town planning office, a certified copy of title
deeds and a copy of the approved building plans. These requirements would then enable the
processing of the application. However a lot of applications were turned in as the applicants did
not have the title deeds citing reasons that farms acquired were not officially handed over to
council hence the delay in the processing of title deeds.
- Application for banners and billboards The student received applications or banners and bill
boards and attended to such in terms of development control. Section 22(f) of the RTCP Act
(29:12) states that display on any land or the external part of any building of any advertisement
is development as such activities require permits.

Applications were received from companies like Savannah Gardens, Zuva Petroleum, National
Foods, TM supermarket and institutions such as Chinhoyi University of Technology.

- Application for church stands Application for church stands were received during attachment
but council had no church stands that were readily available at that moment, the applications
would be considered if council would avail some church stands in the future. Some churches
would make their proposals but applications could not be recommended as the sites proposed
were sometimes road reserves and areas zoned as open spaces after which an open space is
use on its own.
- Application for subdivisions Applications were received pertaining to subdivisions, however
subdivisions could not be processed as land owners did not have the major requirements of
such especially title deeds.

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The students came to realise the pre-requisites of the process of both subdivisions and
consolidations that is title deeds, consent in writing of the owner as well as the completion of
the TPSC1 form.
- Building plan approval According to the Model Building By Laws Part 1section 5, no building or
sewerage work has to be undertaken without approval of the Local Authority. No person shall
commence to construct or re-erect a building or to undertake any sewerage work until the
plans have been submitted to, and approved by the local authority. The student therefore
being part of the local authority was involved in the plan approval process by recommending
plans for approval in the Engineers office.
- Traffic control This was done in conjunction with the Zimbabwe Republic Police in terms of use
of the bus terminus instead of having commuter omnibuses along the Harare -Chirundu
highway. Chinhoyi Municipality worked with ZRP in order to maintain order and safety in the
town as well as securing pedestrians.
- Registration of artisans This was the registration of architects and builders who are involved in
the construction of buildings within Chinhoyi. Only plans drawn by registered architects are
approved by the Local authority as well as building constructed by registered builders are
approved.

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 Artisans pay a fee of $100 that is only valid for 12 months. The student managed to register 65
brick layers and 14 architects for the year of 2015. These artisans should have the necessary
qualifications so that their drawings conform to the town planning standards to avoid any
miscellaneous developments.
- Regularisation of development This was done for the Industrial layout plan, due to scarcity of
land the local authority created industrial stands way back in 2007. The stands were allocated
around 2002 but there is no approved layout plan. The Municipality of Chinhoyi through the
Town planning section saw it fit to regularise these stands so as to have an approved layout
plan for the area. A few

36 A few people have already built and these structures were picked on the tacheometric
survey done in 2013 which acted as a base map for the regularisation of the stands. This layout
was still in the approval process when the student wrote this report. Chinhoyi is the provincial
town for Mashonaland West hence a high demand for industrial stands, it is the major hub of
activity in the province.
4.8 Building Plan Approval & Building Inspections During the attachment period the student
was exposed to the building plan approval process. At Chinhoyi Municipality, there are six
offices involved in the approval of plans, these are: - Sewer and Water section - Housing
Department - Health Department - Treasury Department - Town Planning section - Town
Engineers office The building plans are submitted to the Engineering depot were the water
and sewer technician is, who will take into consideration the connection of the proposed
building to both reticulated water and sewer systems as well as the septic tank and soak away
detail. This is where calculation of the plan approval fee is done; the fees include development
fee, site plan fees, town planning fees and these fees including 15% VAT (Value Added Tax).
Taking for instance a house plan that is 109m2 plinth area pays the plan approval fee as follows:
Development fee ($1 per m2) $109.00 Site plan fee $ 1.00 Town Planning fee (5% of $110) $
5.50 VAT (15% of $115.5) $ 17.33 TOTAL $132.83 The Housing department verifies proof of
ownership from their housing system (computerized) and property files (acquire forms) and if
all is correct the plan is recommended for approval and to be submitted to the Health
Department which considers health and safety of the users, then they recommend the plan
which is then submitted to the Treasury department which will check for any arrears on the
estates account, if not then the plan goes to the Town planners office were the student was
attached.

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The plan comes to the Town planner after all the other four offices have recommended it, the
town planner will then look into whether the plan conforms to the town planning standards.
These include among them building lines, plinth area (cottage has to be 70m2), colour coding,
room ventilation (windows), site plan detail, number of rooms (7 rooms for a high density
house)and looking into whether the plan has been designed for single family dwelling. If the
plan conforms to the planning standards would then be submitted to the Engineers office for
approval, in the absence of the Engineer then the town planner would approve the plans. The
student would play the role of the town planner by accepting plans, keeping the records in plan

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registers, appraisal of plans that is recommending or not recommending the plans for approval
in the Town Engineers office.
The student was able to inspect buildings as seen by visits to residential suburbs such as
Gunhill, Rujeko, Ruvimbo, Mapako, Rusununguko, White City and Brundish. Building approval
stages are as follows: -setting out -excavation and level pegs -foundation and concrete -brick
work to DPC -hard core -slab concrete -lintel level -ring beam -wall plate -roofing -internal and
external plaster -plumbing

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Building lines are considered during setting out, Chinhoyi Municipality use building lines as
shown on the table below: USE FRONT (m) REAR(m) SIDE(m) Residential: High density Low
density 3 9 2 3 1.5 3
Industrial 9 3 3 Institutional 9 3 3

For any building an inspection fee of $12 is paid for any booking.
4.9 Regional / Rural Planning (Provincial and District Planning) Chinhoyi Municipality is involved
in Regional and provincial planning as regional planning councils consists of members of local
planning within the region. The local authority prepares and submits plans or projects to the
provincial head office, these plans maybe annual plans of which there is assurance of funding.
The plans can be rolling plans which may be, saying for the next 3 years because there would be
no assurance for funding hence the plans are rolled to the next year. Projects included may be
the augmentation of water, project banks, these are spear headed by the Department of
Physical Planning and plans are prepared at District level. Chinhoyi is a district on its own, so
district plans are prepared by Municipality of Chinhoyi for Chinhoyi urban. Districts in
Mashonaland West would prepare plans which would then consolidated by the Department of
Physical planning.
4.10 Report Writing The student was able to compile monthly reports which would contain
information on tasks that have been done by the town planning section on monthly basis. This
report is submitted to the office of the Engineer who is the Director of Engineering Services
upon which the town planning section falls under. This report will then be used in council
committee meeting, that is the Engineering, Works and planning committee.
The report would contain details on the following information: - Layout Plans - Plan Approvals

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- Land Surveys - Applications for Change of use - Building Inspectorate
The ZIMASSET report was being prepared monthly in the town planning office as the Town
planner was selected as the focal person for the programme. The student would help the town
planner in compiling the necessary information required. This would be collected from three
departments that is, Engineering, Housing and Health. This report will then be submitted in
triplicate to the District Administrator for Makonde District whose offices are in Chinhoyi. This
report was meant to explain in summary the performances of the departments in terms of their
positive contributions to both the economy and the society at large.

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5.0 CHALLENGES FACED
Challenges faced by the student during attachment include some of the following: Technology
There was lack of modern technology in the department, hence the filing system was poor and
backward and it was difficult to make track of records and often documents were lost in the
process (especially layout plans and general plans). Hence the student suggests that there be
computerization of data in every department and office so that the filing system becomes
modern and records will be kept safe and up to date.
Lack of drawing equipment,
The town planning section did not have enough drawing equipment but the student managed
to use the available equipment to design and produce layout plans
Discrimination: During the work related learning period the student experienced discrimination
from other coworkers, however he allowed himself to be guided by both the supervisor and
coworkers.
Workforce: There was shortage of workforce in the Engineering department that is there was
no town planning technician, who will only be employed upon clearance from the Ministry of
Local Government; this means that the town planner had so much work at her disposal. MOC
does not have a survey technician hence all survey work is done in the town planning section.

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However there were some other challenges that the company itself faced, the student came to
realize these when he noted the following:
There is dependency on ratepayers for revenue. If ratepayers delay or fail to pay in time then
the liquidity position of the organization is negatively affected. To reduce this dependency, the
organization must engage in other revenue earning activities such as dairy farming and cattle
ranching for beef production since it own underutilized farms.
The organization lack borrowing powers due to poor credit rating. The organization must
retain its borrowing powers by improving its asset quality, improve its corporate governance
and meet its liabilities in time among other things.
There is lack of both capital and revenue reserves in the organization. This means the
organization will not be able to absorb economic shocks. Reserves must be set aside for the
financial health of the organization.
Organizations threats
Political instability
Demand for high salaries
Reduced buying power
Shrinking economy
Unemployment
Economic sanctions

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6.0 CONCLUSION
Industrial attachment is a wonderful prospect to make a reconciliation of the different
academic studies done to the practical reality of the business world. At Municipality of Chinhoyi
in particular, the volume and quality of business involved makes it the best learning place. The
experience has set up a fundamental base for my endeavour to acquire professionalism and it
was a privilege to be attached at MOC because of the volume of experience that the student
got while building on his career of becoming an expert in Urban and Regional Planning.
Furthermore the program affords the students a ground to test their theoretical tools learnt
during the first two years at college with realities of planning. The industrial attachment
unlocked the students potential as it presented him with challenging practical situations,
helping in improving general conduct and behavior, the student was able to learn and adapt to
new conditions. The difference in character and attitudes of people improved the students
conduct.
The student met different people these included stakeholders and customers from different
backgrounds, this boosted his confidence, and also he would attend meetings on behalf of the
town planner which in turn assisted greatly in building up his confidence. Effective
communications was learnt as the student met stakeholders and the different workforce. To
add on, the student became more sensitive to other peoples needs, which is part of social
planning, in the end adopting constructive criticism in resolving conflicts. The student met
people from different backgrounds with different political and religious affiliations, these
people express things in different ways. All these people had to be accommodate in the same
way as the other without overlooking onto other peoples rights hence advocacy planning.

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Furthermore, the student expected to meet the councils regulations, working time and
discipline, fulfilling the mentors instructions concerning the training process. The student was
able to meet the deadlines of the duties assigned to him. He adhered to the regulations of the
council according to the councils code of conduct and he managed to perform all the duties
assigned by the mentor meticulously and he was writing a log book on a weekly basis.
The student also put his best effort to acquire extensive knowledge and skills in order to
achieve the required standard of training. He familiarised with the working environment and
adapted easily. The student assumed leadership roles when his mentor was not present and
this assisted greatly in developing leadership skills, learning how to manage time as daily
routines require good time management in order to meet deadlines. At the end of the

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attachment period, the student became a self-constructive motivated person and in turn
realizing that good decisions are made from consulting different people and several
departments linked to planning.
Above all the student would like to express his sincere gratitude to Harare Polytechnic for
providing him with the necessary background while enriching his expertise in Urban and
Regional planning.

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REFERENCES
Government of Zimbabwe (1996), Regional Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 29:12
(Revised Edition), Government Printers Harare.
Government of Zimbabwe (1996), Urban Councils Act Chapter 29:15(Revised Edition),
Government Printers Harare.
Government of Zimbabwe, Model Building By-Laws, Government Printers Harare.
Government of Zimbabwe (1996), Housing and Building Act (Revised Edition), Government
Printers Harare.
Municipality of Chinhoyi, Employment Code of Conduct.
Government of Zimbabwe, Water Act Chapter 20:22, Government Printers Harare.

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7.0 APPENDIX 1
List of Acronyms MOC Municipality of Chinhoyi (m) Metres CBD Central Business District
VAT Value Added Tax ZRP Zimbabwe Republic Police TMB Town Management Board
ZIMASSET Zimbabwe Agenda for Sustainable Socio-Economic Transformation DFS Director of
Financial Services DPP Department of Physical Planning
Personal and professional development
General conduct and behavior Interpersonal skills development. Leadership skills Time
management Innovation Team work
Municipality of Chinhoyi P. Bag 93 Chinhoyi Tel (+263 22238)
Organisation: Municipality of Chinhoyi
Student: Amanda T Mkundwa
Course: Civil Engineering ND2

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Attachment Supervisor: Mr. S GUMBO

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Insert 1: Hunyani residential infill layout plan drawn by the student on AutoCad.

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Insert 2: The student doing office work (Draughting Office)

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Insert 3: The student doing field work (Traversing)

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Supervisors comments

.
Signature ........................
Date

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