Story by Tichaona Kurewa
HWANGE is undergoing a major housing transformation, with more than 1 000 residential stands and housing units under development as increased investment in power generation and coal mining reshapes the town’s landscape.
The surge in infrastructure development is being driven by large-scale investments in the energy and mining sectors, creating new accommodation, generating employment and expanding the town’s capacity to support economic growth.
Residents say the developments are improving living conditions while changing the face of the coal-mining town.
“These new houses are giving many families access to decent accommodation and reducing overcrowding,” said one resident.
Another resident added: “The new developments are beautifying Hwange and making our town more attractive.”
Construction activity has also created employment opportunities for local people.
“Construction projects have created employment opportunities for many local people, and we hope more jobs will come,” another resident said.
Hwange Local Board Chief Executive Officer Mr Ndumiso Mdlalose said the housing boom is being driven by investments from both the public and private sectors, strengthening the town’s ability to accommodate its growing population while boosting revenue and improving service delivery.
“I would like to make specific mention of the Zimbabwe Power Company. They have two principal projects, one of which is almost complete, and they have about 50 houses that have since been occupied.
“There is another project where they are looking at relocating one of the settlements affected by power generation activities. That relocation project is almost complete and is expected to provide about 500 to 600 housing units once completed.
“The developments have also attracted private players. We have seen banks such as FBC starting to service stands, with a project of about 700 stands that will be made available to the community,” he said.
Hwange Local Board Mayor Councillor Peterson Ncube said the local authority is prioritising the provision of water and sewer infrastructure ahead of residential allocations to ensure sustainable urban growth.
“It means comfortable accommodation for our people. It means decongestion of houses in Mpumalanga. It means more revenue to the local authority. It also means better service delivery,” he said.
The housing expansion is expected to support Zimbabwe’s broader target of delivering one million housing units under the National Development Strategy 2 (2026–2030) while positioning Hwange to meet growing demand arising from increased investment in energy and mining.
