Harare City Council looks for partners to upgrade slums

Harare City Council says it is looking for development partners to fund the upgrade of 70 ‘slum settlements’ that are spread across the city.

Harare, with a housing backlog of 500 000 is currently battling an accommodation shortage, with informal settlements sprouting in and around the city.

The council noted in 2012 that the demolition of such structures was not the solution to ending housing problems and adopted a strategy to develop the existing slums.

One such settlement in Dzivarasekwa Extension, west of the city, has undergone an upgrade financed by a $5 million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Harare Mayor Bernard Manyenyeni said that athough council was prioritising the formalisation of slums, it did not have a budget to finance the initiative but would be looking to development partners for assistance.

“We hope because of what we have achieved in Dzivarasekwa, we can negotiate for renewal from the foundation or any of our development partners,” said Manyenyeni.- The Source

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