Victoria Falls housing crisis

 RESIDENTS in the resort city of Victoria Falls are facing an acute shortage of accommodation as most residential houses are being converted into lodges, forcing residents to rent in nearby rural communities.

Property owners reportedly prefer converting their houses into lodges, both legal and illegal, providing bed and breakfast or self-catering services targeting both domestic and foreign tourists.

According to officials from the Victoria Falls Council, the apparent accommodation crisis has seen residents being forced to relocate to the nearby Monde rural area to get alternative accommodation. Monde is 13 kilometres from Victoria Falls.

Responding to questions from Sunday News, Victoria Falls Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube said the growing trend of property owners turning homes into tourist lodges is exacerbating housing challenges in the resort city.

However, Mr Dube was optimistic that the city’s masterplan has identified more areas for densification as well as zoning additional land for residential land, a development that will mitigate the existing situation.

With the Land Settlement Policy of Zimbabwe requiring 40 percent of residential layouts to be set aside for walk-up flats/ garden flats, Mr Dube said densification is now mandatory in reducing accommodation crisis.

“The city has received special consent applications over the years and last year alone we received five applications for regularisation of lodges, four applications for lodges, two applications for cluster homes, one for town houses and two for multi-dwelling units

“Quite a number of residential houses have been turned into lodges in Victoria Falls causing acute accommodation shortages as well as increase in rental accommodation shortages. This has pushed some into the nearby Monde rural area,” said Mr Dube.

He said the regeneration project would have high rise flats and town houses that would provide more accommodation with the local authority receiving two applications for cluster homes and two multi dwelling units last year.

Furthermore, to address the crisis, Mr Dube said the council is implementing its master plan, which includes densification strategies and rezoning more land for residential use.

“The masterplan identified more areas for densification as well as zoning additional land for residential land. The Land Settlement Policy of Zimbabwe requires 40 percent of residential layouts to be set aside for walk-up flats or garden flats hence densification is now mandatory reducing the accommodation crisis,” said Mr Dube.

Turning to the sprouting lodges, Mr Dube said the council conducts monthly development control inspections, raising public awareness and penalising illegal lodge operators.

“The public is advised on proper procedures to be followed and council assists all those who come to enquire on how to apply. Once a development permit is issued by Town Planning, the developer must comply with Environmental Health and Fire Safety regulations before licensing,” said Mr Dube.

In order to further ensure the lodges are of quality standards, the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority (ZTA) also inspects facilities before registration, ensuring compliance with national standards.

As the city grapples with balancing tourism growth and residential needs, the Victoria Falls City Council remains hopeful that planned developments will ease the crisis.

Source: Victoria Falls housing crisis (06/04/2025)

Land crunch in Victoria Falls

 Leonard Ncube, leonard.ncube@chronicle.co.zw

GOGO Gertrude Masilani (79) from Victoria Falls has been diligently paying for her housing waiting list form since 2004, despite being unemployed and relying on vending for survival. 

Over the past two decades, Gogo Masilani, along with more than 7  000 home seekers, submitted their applications at the council’s housing office, hoping for a chance to secure a housing stand.

The Victoria Falls City Council faces a significant challenge with a housing backlog exceeding 18 000, exacerbating the national housing backlog of over 1,5 million. 

The city, attaining status in 2019, has witnessed a surge in housing demand. To address this, the council initiated the Kazungula Housing Scheme, receiving applications from eager home seekers for vetting and allocation.

The week-long application process saw the council housing office buzzing with activity, accompanied by long queues and increased business for photocopying services. 

To streamline the process, the council categorised applicants based on waiting list dates, ensuring transparency in the allocation process.

Responding to concerns, the local authority management acknowledged the land scarcity issue and pledged efforts to secure more land for future housing projects. 

“The council has registered over 18  000 people on the waiting list across all densities and more are still registering. The local authority has exhausted its available land bank and it will                                                                                                continue engaging Central Government and other local authorities in the quest to have more land allocated for future housing schemes,” said the council.

The Kazungula Housing Scheme introduces a “beneficiary pays model,” requiring a minimum deposit for high and medium-density stands, with preferences given to first-time home seekers. Beneficiaries will be required to pay a minimum deposit of US$3  000 for high density and US$5 000 for medium density as an initial deposit. The remaining balance shall be payable over a period of 12 months.

However, anxiety permeates among some applicants, citing past challenges due to a lack of pay slips. Many, like Thulani Mkhwebu, express hope for consideration, emphasising their ability to pay despite the absence of formal income documentation.

“I applied to be on the waiting list in 1998 and I never defaulted paying for it although I missed out on the previous schemes because I had no pay slip hence I was never invited for interviews. I applied again this time and I pray I get considered because even if I don’t have a pay slip I can afford to pay,” said Mkhwebu.

Another home seeker, Sithembekile Sibanda said she inherited her late father’s waiting list form and paid for it from 2002 until 2021 when she was told that she would not be able to get a stand through it as she is above 18 years. She then applied for hers in 2021 and she is not eligible for the stands.

There are scores of businesspersons who told Chronicle on condition of anonymity that they missed on previous schemes because of lack of pay slips but they have the capacity to pay for the housing stands.

One home seeker said he was bitter.

“Mine is from 1999 but I have been omitted several times previously. I don’t know where I am getting it wrong but I applied again this time hoping for luck. My worry is that I started staying here as a young boy and I have even built a home in Dete so that makes me a local. I am bitter because I have been paying for a stand for more than 20 years and now I am more than 50 years old and still renting,” he said.

As the vetting process unfolds, some individuals share unique circumstances, such as inheritances and prior repossessions, adding complexity to the housing allocation dynamics. The council emphasises transparency and fairness in prioritising applicants with offer letters from previous schemes.

Kenneth Mariridza of Hlalani Kuhle said he got on the waiting list for medium density in 2000 but decided not to submit an application because he benefited from the high density before. 

According to the country’s housing laws, a person cannot be allocated more than one stand in the same density but can have one in each density.

Source: Land crunch in Victoria Falls (29/01/2024)

Vic Falls City to release 500 stands

 VICTORIA Falls City Council will next month allocate about 500 high-density housing stands to home seekers as the local authority moves towards reducing the ballooning demand for stands.

Victoria Falls became a city in December 2019 and its housing waiting list is over 15 000.

The city has since engaged a surveyor to prepare the land in preparation for allocation to deserving home seekers.

The cost of each stand will be known in due course after the completion of the engineering design process.

The council made a resolution to sell high-density stands behind Mkhosana suburb last year and gave itself a target of 36 months to deliver.

The land is not yet developed for servicing.

Approval was sought from Government to select the pre-serviced stands.

Speaking at a recent full council meeting, council officials said the allocation of stands to residents is long overdue.

The councilors also proposed that 30 percent of the stands be reserved for youths.

The issue was raised by the housing committee which told the house that stands were yet to be handed over to it by management for allocation despite the resolution.

The committee said council was ready to allocate stands once management completed its processes.

“The house needs to know the update because the waiting list is ballooning. Some residents have been on the waiting list for a long time so we need to be guided by technocrats on where we are now,” said the Mayor Councilor Somvelo Dlamini while directing the housing committee to update the house.

His deputy Cllr Patricia Mwale said the agreement was to pre-sell the stands.

Cllr Lungile Nyoni proposed that the council should consider reserving 30 percent of the stands to youths who have capacity to pay for the stands.

Town Clerk Mr Ronnie Dube said the resolution to seal the stands starting next month still stands.

“It will take 36 months from last year for council to deliver but for now even if we allocate the stands won’t be usable.

“After approval by Government council engaged a surveyor and we now have a certificate of survey. We are currently in the process of engineering design that will give us costing and we expect to be done at the end of this month.

” We did that in BB7 where people were allocated stands and paid and we used that money to survive the land. We will do that,” said Mr Dube.

BB7 is a low density housing scheme in Victoria Falls.

Nationally,  the housing  backlog is more that 1.2 million and Government targets to deliver more than 200 000 by 2025.

Source: Vic Falls City to release 500 stands (13/02/2023)

Victoria Falls Residents Petition Council

Victoria Falls — Council has been petitioned by residents to stop approving new housing projects because the resort town is now overcrowded.

At a recent stakeholders' meeting convened to discuss the 2017 budget, residents made the point that the existing infrastructure can no longer cope with the town's population, estimated at over 40 000.

For example, residents are going for days, if not weeks, without water, and the sewer infrastructure is showing signs of being overwhelmed as evidenced by the prevalence of burst pipes.

Currently, the town has 7 000 housing units, and a housing backlog of 15 000.

Victoria Falls, better known for being home to one of the seven natural wonders of the world -- also known as Mosi-oa-Tunya, has been unable to clear the housing backlog because it has run out of land.

What complicates its situation is that the town is located within the Zambezi and Chamabondo National parks hence it cannot grow its stock of land without decimating the wildlife environment.

To avoid putting a strain on service provision, city fathers were recently advised to decline new applications for housing.

"Council is failing to supply water, but still wants to add more people. There is no land for expansion and the waiting list should also stop expanding," bemoaned one of the residents who attended the meeting.

A businessman, only identified as Moyo, said it boggles the mind that council was generating revenue through application fees from people who wish to be included on the housing waiting list when it was quite obvious that the municipality no longer has the land for new housing projects.

Council charges US$5, US$10 and US$15 for one to be included on the housing waiting list for high density, low and medium density sections, respectively.

"Why don't you suspend the process and tell those people seeking housing stands to go elsewhere like in Hwange or Lupane?" queried the businessman.

The last time council went into housing development was in 2005 when it rolled out the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai housing initiative, which was meant to resettle victims of Operation Murambatsvina, conducted 11 years ago to restore order in various towns and cities.

The project, named Mfelandawonye suburb, saw council utilising a buffer zone that was meant to be an animal corridor, infuriating animal lovers in the process.

Notwithstanding pressure from residents, the city fathers are unlikely to take heed.

Acting town clerk, Kholwani Mangena, said council has no legal basis to suspend new applications for houses because every citizen of this country should have a roof over their head.

"I don't think as a local authority we can legally do that as people are allowed to seek accommodation anywhere in the country," Mangena said.

Meanwhile, council, along with the Hwange Local Board, have appealed to government to be allowed to take over the management of raw water from the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) in order to improve the availability of the resource to their residents.

Both councils accuse ZINWA, which has the rights to pump water into their respective towns, of incompetence.

In Victoria Falls, ZINWA is failing to manage the pumping system which needs constant shifting in the Zambezi River, as water levels are rapidly falling due to excessive heat.

Mayor, Sifiso Mpofu, recently told a full council meeting that discussions with the relevant authorities were in progress to claim pumping rights from ZINWA.

ZINWA blames the poor state of its equipment and lack of funding as frustrating efforts to make running water available to residents.

Hwange Local Board secretary, Ndumiso Mdlalose, said following their appeal to government, an inter-ministerial team was dispatched to the mining town recently to assess the water situation.

The board is now waiting for feedback upon which they would decide on the next course of action to take.

"We have engaged government through an inter-ministerial team that visited us recently that we need water for development of our town," said Mdlalose.

Some of the suburbs in Hwange such as Number 1, Number 3, Chibondo and Railways have been without running water for years.

Once in a while, the local authority has been forced to dispatch water bowsers to supply residents with the precious liquid.

As a result of the water shortages, some of the residents are fetching water from Deka River, which is heavily polluted.

Some are even scouring streams that cut across the coal mining town, exposing themselves to many health hazards.

Besides enduring scorching heat without water, the majority of residents now use the bush to relieve themselves, which is further polluting the environment.

"It's no longer an issue to see people queuing for water at public taps or bowsers. One worrying factor is that we are sitting on a health time bomb because people now mostly use the bush to relieve themselves because of lack of running water," said Hwange Residents Association chairman, Lucky Daka.

Source: Victoria Falls Residents Petition Council (20/10/16)