BULAWAYO City Council has approved a proposal to deepen collaboration on community-led slum upgrading and environmental restoration under the Bulawayo Slum Upgrading Partnership, aiming to strengthen inclusive urban development and climate resilience in informal settlements.
The initiative, which was presented by the director for housing and community services, Dictor Khumalo, on May 7, 2026, traces its origins to a 2015 memorandum of understanding between Dialogue on Shelter (DOST), the Bulawayo chapter of the Zimbabwe Homeless Peoples Federation, and the city council.
Latest council minutes state that the agreement laid the foundation for joint efforts in upgrading informal settlements through participatory planning and community-driven development.
Ngozi Mine is Bulawayo’s most prominent informal settlement located at the Richmond Sanitary Landfill, estimated to be home to approximately 400 households or up to 1 000 residents.
“Under the framework, the partnership focuses on citywide profiling, enumeration and GIS-based mapping of informal settlements, alongside building grassroots capacity for tenure security and affordable housing solutions,” the minutes read.
The model promotes aided self-help upgrading approaches, allowing communities to play a central role in shaping their living environments.
The renewed collaboration prioritises a shift from ad hoc intervention to a structured citywide upgrading strategy that incorporates both in-situ upgrading and relocation, depending on settlement conditions and tenure security assessment.
DOST is expected to support the rollout of community-led slum upgrading, environmental restoration and climate adaptation interventions, particularly targeting Cowdray Park and Pumula — two of the city’s most densely populated informal settlement areas.
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Key objectives of the programme include strengthening community capacity in climate action and environmental stewardship, restoring degraded ecosystems, improving data-driven urban planning, and ensuring alignment with municipal planning and service delivery systems.
“Officials emphasised the need to demonstrate scalable models for climate-resilient informal settlement upgrading that can be replicated across the city.
"Council was informed that an inter-departmental team comprising corporate communications, finance, town planning, health services and housing and community services engaged DOST to initiate implementation,” the minutes stated.
Following deliberations, council resolved to recommend approval of the proposals as outlined in the report, effectively endorsing a more integrated and community-driven approach to informal settlement upgrading and environmental restoration.
The decision marks a significant step towards aligning urban development policy with climate resilience, participatory governance, and inclusive housing reform in Bulawayo.
