Severe overcrowding, illegal occupation, rampant vandalism and mounting rental arrears have plunged Bulawayo’s Burombo Hostels into a deepening housing and public health crisis, forcing council to move in to evict illegal lodgers and reclaim converted utility spaces.
An administrative verification and general assessment of the hostels established that some rooms housed five or more people, while the most overcrowded unit had up to 16 occupants.
The assessment, conducted through physical inspections and door-to-door interviews in October last year, was intended to establish the tenancy status of occupants, assess compliance with housing regulations and determine rental payment performance.
Instead, the exercise uncovered widespread tenancy irregularities.
The Director of Housing and Community Services reported that several occupants were not registered tenants but illegal lodgers, while more than half of the registered tenants no longer resided in their allocated units.
Some registered tenants had reportedly died, relocated to rural areas or found alternative accommodation elsewhere. In some cases, current occupants did not even know the registered tenants whose names remained attached to the units. Others failed to update their tenancy records after relocating.
The situation has been exacerbated by the illegal conversion of common facilities into residential quarters.
“All common kitchens had been subdivided into small rooms for occupation, while some residents were living in storerooms without proper ventilation or lighting,” reads a Bulawayo City Council (BCC) health report.
The hostels also lack electricity, forcing residents to use gas and charcoal for cooking and heating inside already overcrowded rooms a situation council warned poses significant safety risks.
Overcrowding has placed enormous pressure on the municipal sewerage system, resulting in frequent blockages and sewer spillages, triggering serious environmental and health concerns in an area already struggling with poor sanitation.
Director of Health Services Edwin Sibanda told the council committee that vandalism was widespread, with water taps and sewer infrastructure repeatedly stolen.
“Some rooms had five to 13 people,” Sibanda said, highlighting the extent of overcrowding at the flats.
The assessment also found that almost all showerheads, galvanised water pipes and handwashing basins had been stolen, further compromising water and sanitation services.
Council has consequently initiated measures to decongest the facilities.
The Housing Department began relocating some tenants particularly male occupants staying in storerooms to Vundu Hostels. However, many of those offered alternative accommodation failed to report or take up the rooms.
Residents who can afford residential stands have been encouraged to approach the Housing Office to register on the municipal housing waiting list.
Councillor Khalazani Ndlovu sought clarity on the way forward, particularly regarding the welfare of residents living under the dire conditions at Burombo.
The local authority is also attempting to improve waste management at the flats. The Health Department was instructed to provide at least two metal refuse bins per block and ensure regular waste collection.
Requisitions have also been submitted to the Works as well as Water and Sanitation departments for the rehabilitation of collapsed water and sewer infrastructure, alongside other structural repairs.
Furthermore, the Housing Department is working with Financial Services to enforce rent collection, after discovering that some tenants had accumulated debts exceeding US$300, despite monthly rentals being set at just US$18.
Council issued call-in notices to tenants linked to illegal occupants and locked rooms that could not be inspected. While some occupants responded and reported to the Mzilikazi Housing Office, others failed to comply.
The situation was subsequently discussed during a consultative meeting with residents’ representatives on June 11, followed by a full occupants’ meeting at Stanley Hall on July 3.
Council has now resolved to take tougher enforcement measures to restore order.
Illegal tenants and lodgers will be evicted in accordance with the law to decongest the flats. However, council has made provision to regularise certain occupants.
Individuals who inherited rooms from deceased or absent parents will be considered for regularisation and issued with new tenancy accounts and tenure documentation to improve accountability and rent tracking.
Council has also ordered that people occupying storerooms be evicted, with the spaces permanently locked to prevent reoccupation. Those who converted common kitchens into living quarters will also be removed so the facilities can be restored to their intended use.
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