BULAWAYO City Council has recommended evicting illegal tenants and lodgers from Burombo Flats as it moves to address severe overcrowding, deteriorating infrastructure, and worsening sanitation at the ageing housing complex.
The recommendations followed an administrative verification and general assessment of Burombo Hostels, which uncovered widespread tenancy irregularities and poor living conditions, with some rooms accommodating up to 16 people.
According to the latest council minutes, the assessment was conducted through physical inspections and door-to-door interviews with occupants in October 2025 to establish tenancy status, compliance with occupancy regulations and rental payment records.
The exercise found significant tenancy irregularities, with some current occupants identified as illegal lodgers.
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“More than half of the registered tenants were no longer occupying their units, with some reported deceased, others having relocated to rural areas and some having secured alternative accommodation elsewhere,” the minutes read.
“In several cases, the current occupants did not know the registered tenants. Some tenants had failed to update their tenancy records after relocating.”
The assessment also highlighted severe overcrowding, with many rooms housing five or more people, while some units accommodated as many as 16 occupants.
“All common kitchens had been converted and subdivided into small rooms for occupation, while some tenants were staying in storerooms without ventilation or lighting,” the minutes read.
The situation has been compounded by the lack of electricity at the flats, forcing residents to rely on alternative sources of energy in already congested spaces.
Electricity was disconnected in October 2023 after a four-year-old child was electrocuted.
“The hostels were currently without electricity, forcing residents to rely on gas and charcoal for cooking and heating in already overcrowded units, which created significant safety risks,” the minutes read.
Council noted that the overcrowding was also placing mounting pressure on the sewer system.
“Severe overcrowding had also placed excessive pressure on the sewer system, resulting in frequent blockages and sewer spillages that posed serious health and environmental hazards,” the minutes stated.
Rental arrears were another concern, with many tenants found to have outstanding balances, some exceeding US$300 against a monthly rent of US$18.
The Health, Housing and Education department proposed reducing the number of occupants by relocating some residents to Vundu Hostels, while those who could afford residential stands were encouraged to approach council’s Registry section.
The department recommended that all illegal tenants and lodgers be evicted in terms of the law to decongest the flats and restore order.
It also recommended that occupants who had inherited rooms from deceased or absent parents be regularised and issued with new tenancy accounts and tenure documents to improve accountability and facilitate rent collection.
Those staying in storerooms should also be evicted, with council recommending that “the storerooms be permanently locked to prevent further occupation”.
Tenants who had converted common kitchens into living spaces will also be removed to allow the facilities to be restored for their intended purpose.
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