MARTIN MAWAYA
ZVISHAVANE—A US$29 million housing development in the rich mining town of Zvishavane is strengthening the local authority’s bid for municipal status after expanding the council’s revenue base, improving infrastructure and attracting new institutions, officials told The Midweek Watch.
The Midlands Park housing model, commissioned in 2025, has increased the town’s property rates base and driven investment in roads, electricity and sewer infrastructure, reinforcing the town’s push towards municipal status.
“As local government, we are very happy with this project. It was implemented during the National Development Strategy 1 and is one of the government’s key achievements under that programme,” Zvishavane District Development Coordinator Darlington Chokera told journalists during a Ministry of Information media tour.
“The Zvishavane Town Council is working towards attaining municipal status, and this development will contribute significantly to that goal,” he added.
Municipal status in Zimbabwe is generally assessed on factors including population growth, revenue generation, infrastructure capacity and a local authority’s ability to deliver urban services.
The project, financed mainly by the Public Service Pension Fund and managed by First Mutual Asset Management, has been occupied since April 2025.
Property manager Mike Kanengoni said educational institutions had become key tenants in the development as occupancy continued to grow.
“Midlands State University is our biggest tenant, occupying more than 40 residential units, while the second-phase student accommodation is about 50% occupied,” Kanengoni noted.
Project clerk Newton Mapepeta said supporting infrastructure was completed before occupation, including electricity connections, rehabilitation of sections of the Maglas sewer network and construction of a three kilometre access road linking the development to Zvishavane’s commercial centre.
Chokera also pointed to planned commercial investment, saying investors intended to develop a shopping mall.
“The investors have indicated plans to develop a shopping mall, further expanding Zvishavane’s commercial base,” he added.
Zimbabwe’s National Development Strategy 2 identifies private and institutional investment as central to addressing the country’s housing deficit.
In Zvishavane, Midlands Park is also emerging as an early test of whether large-scale housing investment can strengthen the financial and infrastructure base required for towns seeking municipal status.
