Why Bulawayo rents are soaring as housing decays

Rising rentals in Bulawayo are forcing some families to cut back on food and other essentials, despite living in houses they say are poorly maintained. Tenants in suburbs including Parklands, Pumula, Cowdray Park and Nketa told CITE that rental increases have outpaced their incomes, leaving them struggling to cover basic costs such as school fees and transport. Tinotenda Hove, who lives in Parklands, said he pays US$180 a month for a three-roomed apartment.

“I used to manage my rent and still have enough money left for food, school fees and transport, but now almost everything I earn is going towards paying for accommodation,” he said. He said the apartment is old and the ceilings leak when it rains. “Each time the landlord increases the rent, it goes up, but my salary stays the same.

We are now buying less food and cutting other basic needs just so we do not fall behind and get asked to leave,” Hove added. In Pumula, Lindiwe Ncube said her family has been forced to share their rented house with relatives to cope with rising costs. “Rentals have gone up so much that one family can no longer afford to stay alone,” she said.

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“The house is overcrowded, the walls have cracks, and the bathroom sometimes floods. The roof leaks when it rains, and the children do not have privacy. Even though the house is in this condition, the rent keeps going up.” Xolani Dube, a tenant in Cowdray Park, said maintenance problems are common.

“We often deal with broken taps and blocked drains. At the same time, food prices, transport and school fees are also going up. Many families are afraid of being evicted because they cannot keep up with the rising rent,” he said.

Michael Nyathi from Nketa described what he called a growing gap between rental charges and the state of properties. “The houses are old and not properly looked after. Pipes break down, taps do not work, and we sometimes have to fetch water outside. The walls are cracked and the ceilings leak, but landlords still increase the rent,” he said.

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