News / Local
Corruption and poor planning blamed for Zimbabwe housing woes
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Zimbabwe is grappling with a worsening urban housing crisis, as a combination of poor planning, corruption, and unaffordable housing compounds an estimated 1.5 million-unit backlog nationwide. Local authorities, housing experts, and residents have raised the alarm over the rapidly deteriorating situation, particularly in major urban centres such as Harare, Bulawayo, Mutare, and Gweru.
With cities expanding quickly due to population growth, the demand for housing has far outstripped supply. The result has been a surge in overcrowded suburbs and informal settlements that lack basic amenities such as clean water, proper sewage systems, and road infrastructure.
Land allocation, which for years served as the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's homeownership model, has become increasingly mired in corruption. The rise of land barons and speculative developers has seen many long-term housing applicants locked out of the market or forced into illegal settlements.
In Harare, the city council is now proposing a dramatic policy shift in response to the crisis. A draft Master Plan for 2025–2045 suggests suspending new residential stand allocations for 20 years and focusing instead on high-density rental housing such as flats. City officials argue this is a more sustainable model for managing the capital's growing population.
Across the country, residents and civic groups say the backlog is not only growing, but that official systems are broken. In Bulawayo, Claude Phuti, Programmes Manager at the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), described a bleak situation where over 100,000 residents remain on the housing waiting list.
"In Bulawayo, we're facing a very sad reality," Phuti said during a discussion on X Spaces. "Some stands have remained unserviced for more than 10 or even 15 years. There's no clear plan to address the housing backlog."
Phuti criticised the involvement of private developers through public-private partnerships, accusing them of pricing out ordinary citizens and ignoring long-term applicants.
"Now it's not about how long you've been on the list—it's about whether you can pay. Some people have been waiting since the 1990s," he said.
In Harare, Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust, traced the roots of the crisis back to Operation Murambatsvina in 2005, when thousands of families were forcibly displaced. Many of those evicted ended up in makeshift settlements on the city's outskirts, where basic services are virtually non-existent.
"Illegal settlements have mushroomed, and the waiting list continues to grow," Shumba said. "Harare still relies on a manual housing waiting list system, which is highly vulnerable to manipulation and corruption."
He added that a lack of state support for housing construction has made the situation more dire.
"People pay to get on the list, but most are never called for interviews or allocated land," Shumba noted.
In Gweru, more than 35,000 people are on the housing waiting list, according to Cornillia Seliphiwe, Executive Director of the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association. But the majority, he said, are priced out of the market.
"Stands are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, which favours those with money. Poor families are left behind while wealthier individuals buy multiple stands and rent them out," he said.
Seliphiwe also criticised developers for inflating land prices and bypassing official allocation systems.
"They drain residents with their high prices and often ignore the waiting list. Even when they follow procedure, cash upfront is still required," he said.
Development consultant Kudzai Chatiza of the Development Governance Institute said the root of the crisis lies in four decades of policy that focused on home ownership without the necessary delivery capacity or financing mechanisms.
"We've focused on ownership, but we've lacked the scale and infrastructure to deliver or maintain urban housing," Chatiza said.
He pointed to Bulawayo's struggles with upgrading communal toilets in areas like Iminyela as symptomatic of a broader systemic failure.
"The city simply can't raise the money it needs. Its traditional financial model no longer works," he added.
As the backlog grows and housing becomes even more elusive for the majority of Zimbabwe's urban population, calls are intensifying for urgent reform, greater transparency in land allocation, and a shift toward inclusive, rental-based urban development.
With cities expanding quickly due to population growth, the demand for housing has far outstripped supply. The result has been a surge in overcrowded suburbs and informal settlements that lack basic amenities such as clean water, proper sewage systems, and road infrastructure.
Land allocation, which for years served as the cornerstone of Zimbabwe's homeownership model, has become increasingly mired in corruption. The rise of land barons and speculative developers has seen many long-term housing applicants locked out of the market or forced into illegal settlements.
In Harare, the city council is now proposing a dramatic policy shift in response to the crisis. A draft Master Plan for 2025–2045 suggests suspending new residential stand allocations for 20 years and focusing instead on high-density rental housing such as flats. City officials argue this is a more sustainable model for managing the capital's growing population.
Across the country, residents and civic groups say the backlog is not only growing, but that official systems are broken. In Bulawayo, Claude Phuti, Programmes Manager at the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association (BPRA), described a bleak situation where over 100,000 residents remain on the housing waiting list.
"In Bulawayo, we're facing a very sad reality," Phuti said during a discussion on X Spaces. "Some stands have remained unserviced for more than 10 or even 15 years. There's no clear plan to address the housing backlog."
Phuti criticised the involvement of private developers through public-private partnerships, accusing them of pricing out ordinary citizens and ignoring long-term applicants.
"Now it's not about how long you've been on the list—it's about whether you can pay. Some people have been waiting since the 1990s," he said.
In Harare, Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust, traced the roots of the crisis back to Operation Murambatsvina in 2005, when thousands of families were forcibly displaced. Many of those evicted ended up in makeshift settlements on the city's outskirts, where basic services are virtually non-existent.
"Illegal settlements have mushroomed, and the waiting list continues to grow," Shumba said. "Harare still relies on a manual housing waiting list system, which is highly vulnerable to manipulation and corruption."
He added that a lack of state support for housing construction has made the situation more dire.
"People pay to get on the list, but most are never called for interviews or allocated land," Shumba noted.
In Gweru, more than 35,000 people are on the housing waiting list, according to Cornillia Seliphiwe, Executive Director of the Gweru Residents and Ratepayers Association. But the majority, he said, are priced out of the market.
"Stands are sold on a first-come, first-served basis, which favours those with money. Poor families are left behind while wealthier individuals buy multiple stands and rent them out," he said.
Seliphiwe also criticised developers for inflating land prices and bypassing official allocation systems.
"They drain residents with their high prices and often ignore the waiting list. Even when they follow procedure, cash upfront is still required," he said.
Development consultant Kudzai Chatiza of the Development Governance Institute said the root of the crisis lies in four decades of policy that focused on home ownership without the necessary delivery capacity or financing mechanisms.
"We've focused on ownership, but we've lacked the scale and infrastructure to deliver or maintain urban housing," Chatiza said.
He pointed to Bulawayo's struggles with upgrading communal toilets in areas like Iminyela as symptomatic of a broader systemic failure.
"The city simply can't raise the money it needs. Its traditional financial model no longer works," he added.
As the backlog grows and housing becomes even more elusive for the majority of Zimbabwe's urban population, calls are intensifying for urgent reform, greater transparency in land allocation, and a shift toward inclusive, rental-based urban development.
Source - Cite
