Dreams of homeownership have turned into a nightmare for nearly 50 Hopley residents, who now face the unsettling reality of potential eviction due to alleged double allocation of the stands they purchased in the area.
The ownership disputes of housing stands follow an inquest by the local housing co-operative into its activities between 2013 and 2024.
The Hopley Housing Co-operative Door-to-door Stands audit report by ACG Consultancy, an independent audit services, accounting, taxation and business advisory firm, reveals that there are 37 unregistered occupants of stands and 14 more that are disputed due to double allocations.
The scandal has highlighted the broader housing crisis in Zimbabwe, with growing urban populations clashing with inadequate urban planning.
Double allocations stem from the parallel housing programmes that were used in the resettlement of residents mainly by the Ministry of Local Government, the Urban Development Corporation and the City of Harare.
Hopley, initially an informal settlement, was incorporated into Harare’s southern boundaries following the controversial Operation Murambatsvina in 2005.
This government-led urban clean-up displaced approximately 700 000 people nationwide, according to United Nations figures.
To address international condemnation, the government launched Operation Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle, promising housing for those affected.
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At the same time, the City of Harare initiated its own housing programme, allocating stands to displaced residents in Zones 1 to 5 of the settlement.
However, investigations with support from Information for Development Trust (IDT), have uncovered poor coordination, corruption, and political interference that has resulted in multiple instances of double allocations, leaving many residents at risk of losing their homes.
The Hopley Housing Co-operative, tasked with managing 600 stands, has come under scrutiny following an internal audit conducted by its land audit committee team for the period 2013 to July 2024, which revealed significant irregularities.
The co-operative is among one of over 35 operating in the area. The audit report highlights unauthorised payments, missing funds, and a lack of accountability among co-operative leaders.
Allegations have been levelled against the co-operative’s chairperson, Tinashe Chuma, secretary-general, Francis Dekete, and one Tsopo for misappropriating funds and enabling double allocations.
“During our door-to-door stand audit, we received anonymous tips and disclosures from some of our members. Our investigation revealed that the management committee had allocated stands to their spouses, children, and relatives without paying the required fees,” the report reads.
The audit report alleges that Tinoziva Mondo and Grace Banda are in a double allocation over ownership of Stand 9514. Banda claims she paid a total of US$9 000 for the stand in three installments to a man named Brian Chipunza, but Mondo disputes her ownership.
For Stand 9427, Douglas Mugwadi is in a double allocation with Sam Zimhondi, while Stand 7477 was also allocated to Martha Verengera and Zvidzai Mabvukwenyu.
Similar disputes have arisen over other stands, with many cases dragging on for years due to a lack of clear documentation.
Other cases detailed in the audit report involve Dekete, who allegedly received US$1 500 from Kizito Gwengwe in payments for Stand 9563 without issuing receipts or involving the treasurer.
Similar allegations surround Stand 7921, for which US$2 500 was reportedly paid directly to Dekete without proper documentation.
The transactions detailed in the report paint a picture of financial chaos, exacerbated by a lack of oversight in the co-operative.
Dekete and Chuma reportedly received US$3 500 from Ernest Rutsito in 2014 as joining fees for Stand 7715, again with no proper documentation being provided.
Dekete, however, denies the accusations, claiming he has been targeted by individuals trying to protect the real culprits.
“I don’t have a record of how money flows in the co-operative. I’m not even close to the money because I’m not responsible for holding the money,” Dekete said over the phone.
“There are some people who want to tarnish my image. There are people who are protecting those misusing funds and using my name in the process. The claims are unfounded.
“I flagged issues related to unsigned vouchers and other anomalies, but now my name is being used to shield those truly responsible. The things that I raised related to the systems, and the auditor also raised them, meaning that I was right about everything,” Dekete said.
The number of residents in Hopley has surged, reaching an estimated 80 000, according to the 2022 census report, double the estimated 35 000 recorded in 2015.
Despite lack of data to show the acceptable holding capacity in the suburb, the area is visibly overcrowded.
For residents, the consequences of this double allocation have been devastating.
Many have lost homes they spent years building after discovering their stands were fraudulently sold to other claimants.
Martin, a former Hopley resident, shared his story: “I purchased a stand and began building in 2019. But someone came and claimed the stand was theirs. Without any documentation, I lost my two-roomed house.”
Another resident, Chipo Chizeze, explained how she lost her home after the original stand owner demanded she vacate the property.
“It’s not easy to build your house and be told the land belongs to someone. I was told I had been staying on their land for free. They refused to let me recover anything from the structure I had built,” Chizeze said.
The scale of the problem is staggering.
So chaotic is the growth of Hopley, such that these investigations by the Zimbabwe Independent, in collaboration with IDT, a non-profit organisation supporting investigative reporting focusing on communities, revealed that Harare City Council has not been able to collect rates in sprouting housing settlements in Zone 6, which has yet to be incorporated into its billing system.
Regularisation programme
The chaos in Hopley reflects a broader housing crisis in Zimbabwe. Urban population growth, driven by rural-to-urban migration and natural population increase, has outpaced the country’s ability to provide adequate housing.
Zimbabwe faces a housing deficit of 1,2 million units, and settlements such as Hopley have become symbols of the government’s failure to address the crisis.
With an estimated 80 000 residents crammed into poorly planned housing units, Hopley epitomises the consequences of unregulated urban expansion.
The Harare Master Plan, released in June this year, highlights the challenges of managing settlements such as Hopley.
The plan admits that co-operatives and politically connected land barons have driven much of the city’s expansion, often disregarding planning rules and encroaching on land reserved for public services.
It estimates that 70 000 people are living in unrecognised pay schemes, with many settlements lacking basic amenities that include water, sanitation and electricity.
While some of these schemes have been earmarked for regularisation, others remain in legal disputes, further complicating the city’s ability to manage its growth.
The City of Harare has acknowledged the challenges posed by Hopley’s rapid expansion.
Stanley Gama, the city’s head of corporate communications, said efforts are underway to regularise the settlement as part of the Southern Areas Local Development Plan.
“It is true that these areas are within the boundaries of the City of Harare… most of the provisions of this plan (Southern Areas Local Development Plan) have been violated by illegal developments where houses have been constructed on school sites, commercial sites,” Gama said.
He added that regularisation efforts are being coordinated with the Ministry of Local Government and the Urban Development Corporation, but progress has been slow.
“We will continue to work with the Ministry and the beneficiaries towards regularisation. However, we will not regularise those settled on schools or institutional sites, commercial sites and wetlands,” Gama added.
Inadequate social services
The lack of basic infrastructure in Hopley has compounded the residents’ plight.
Most areas lack water and sewer connections, while public spaces and recreational facilities are non-existent.
Precious Shumba, director of the Harare Residents Trust, criticised the government’s failure to provide adequate services.
“The service provision in most of the areas is determined by co-operatives and land barons and there are no water and sewer connections,” Shumba said.
“Our settlements are being established through politics by land barons aligned to the ruling party and those with protection from authorities.
“The land barons are spearheading the establishment of certain suburbs and people are settled there as part of government’s policy of parallel development.”
Efforts to formalise Hopley are further complicated by the area’s history of political interference. Many residents acquired land through politically-connected individuals, bypassing official channels.
The population of Hopley and the neighbouring areas such as Southlea Park, Southlands and Chigwende, among others, has rapidly grown over the past decade, creating a Zanu PF stronghold, mainly consisting of beneficiaries of its urban resettlement programme.
This has resulted in the opposition party losing the Harare South constituency in recent elections, despite urban settlements being opposition strongholds.
The Harare Master Plan identifies political interference as a key driver of the city’s urban planning challenges, noting that it has led to haphazard development and the proliferation of illegal settlements. This has seen people settling in wetlands, open spaces and land reserved for future development.
Addressing the crisis
In response to the crisis, the government has launched the Presidential Title Deeds and Settlement Regularisation Programme, which aims to provide residents with legal ownership of their stands while ensuring the installation of essential services.
However, progress has been slow. Residents say without addressing the systemic corruption and lack of accountability that have plagued land allocation processes, such initiatives will fail to deliver meaningful change.
The Hopley Housing Co-operative audit recommended several measures to restore transparency, including proper documentation of land transactions, regular financial audits, and a forensic investigation into past mismanagement.
However, the implementation of these recommendations remains uncertain, given the entrenched interests of those benefiting from the status quo.
As Hopley’s population continues to grow, the settlement’s challenges have become a microcosm of Zimbabwe’s broader urban housing crisis.
With the city’s resources stretched thin and political interference undermining planning efforts, the prospects for meaningful reform remain uncertain.
Nonetheless, the audit report suggests that the findings be presented before a general meeting for discussion and resolution. The general meeting has the power to decide on these issues in line with the bylaws.
“We suggest that the general meeting consider taking appropriate action, including disciplinary action against management committees involved and revoking stands that were allocated to relatives,” the report said.
