The Harare City Council, in a bid to ensure that residents have access to proper housing and infrastructure, have revealed their plans to demolish 58 blocks of flats in Mbare (the oldest high density suburb in Zimbabwe).
The plan is to develop decent family units in the suburb. The flats were constructed in 1907 to accommodate bachelors and a small number of migrant workers. Mbare was the first high density suburb (township), and includes Matapi, Shawasha, Magaba, Mbare, Matererina and Nenyere flats in the area.
These structures have now become home to over 70 000 people, most of which are families. The City Council is therefore undertaking urban regeneration, in-order to reverse the decline and pump prime private investment in the area.
Josephine Ncube, Harare City Councils’ Acting Town Clerk, confirmed that 58 hostels in Mbare required redevelopment into decent family units and there was need to upgrade them in line with modern trends.
She highlighted that the renewal project was a good investment opportunity and was in line with the City of Harare’s efforts to ensure that residents have access to proper housing and infrastructure.
The total cost of the project could not be established .Josephine Ncube however added that, Harare is in dire need of funding for the upgrading of infrastructure and that more land is required to expand Harare as it continues to grow because of the rapid rural urban migration and urban to urban migration.
Harare has a critical housing backlog of atleast 500 000 units, meaning current demand far outweighs supply. Ncube called for cooperation with the private players to ease the housing problem, as the provision of decent and affordable housing was a key priority for the Harare City Council.
