Mbare Flats a Ticking Time Bomb in Zimbabwe’s Capital

The Mbare flats, a relic of Zimbabwe’s colonial past, stand as a stark reminder of the country’s grim urban history.
Decades of neglect have left these structures in a perilous state, posing significant safety risks to residents.
Despite a 2024 High Court order mandating the Harare City Council (HCC) to restore water and sewer systems and upgrade the rundown flats, little progress has been made.
Instead, the HCC has opted to issue title deeds to tenants, a decision critics argue is a diversion from addressing the urgent need for renovations.
Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust (HRT), condemned the council’s approach, accusing it of “dumping dead infrastructure” on residents.
“We believe that the council’s plan is a way of shirking its responsibility to repair and maintain the flats on behalf of the residents living there,” Shumba said.
Reuben Akili of the Combined Harare Residents Association (CHRA) echoed Shumba’s sentiments, urging the council to ensure the flats are habitable before transferring ownership.
“These flats must be handed over in habitable conditions, not the status they are in at the moment,” Akili said.
Akili insisted that, with enough willpower, the HCC could rehabilitate the flats.
“If there is political will or if there is the will to address the issues of Mbare, I think they can be addressed. The local authority has the money.
“That is why, as we hear, they are able to pay their executives as much as US$12,000 a month. Repairing a window costs only $3,” Akili said, highlighting the disparity between the council’s priorities and the needs of residents.
Stanley Gama, HCC’s corporate communications manager, acknowledged the court order but cited a lack of resources as the primary obstacle.
“There is the High Court challenge where the city council was ordered to renovate the apartments, which may mean that all tenants will have to move while we renovate.
But it’s a huge capital budget, as you know, and the city council has to raise that money somehow,” Gama said.
As the debate rages on, residents of Mbare continue to live in squalid conditions, their rights to a clean and safe environment, as guaranteed by Section 73(1) of Zimbabwe’s Constitution, flagrantly disregarded.
The Mbare flats remain a ticking time bomb, a stark reminder of the country’s urban decay and the need for urgent action to address the crisis.