BULAWAYO City Council is continually updating and digitising its housing waiting register, with more than 162 000 applications now captured into the AS400 (Application System/400) computer system as of May 2026.
The IBM AS/400 is a secure midrange server introduced by IBM in 1988 and is widely renowned across the banking, healthcare, retail, and manufacturing industries for its exceptional reliability, built-in database, and remarkable backward compatibility.
Unlike standard servers, the AS/400 was built as an all-in-one ecosystem combining hardware, an integrated relational database (DB2 for i), and the operating system into a single framework.
Today, while the name AS/400 is still colloquially used, the underlying hardware is known as IBM Power Systems, and the modern operating system is called IBM i.
According to a housing report presented by the housing and community services director Doctor Khumalo recently, the digitisation process remains ongoing as council works to streamline allocation processes and improve transparency in housing administration.
“A cumulative total of 162 836 housing application forms have now been captured into the system, reflecting continued updates from the waiting list database,” the report reads.
The report also showed that the housing waiting register had increased from 145 936 applicants in April 2026 to 146 526 in May 2026.
In terms of allocations, council said 28 residential stands were allocated in Mahatshula East during May 2026, with youth beneficiaries (aged 15–35) receiving five stands and older applicants accounting for 23 allocations.
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Council further reported on housing waiver applications processed during the same period, with 14 applications recorded across city districts.
“Of these, three were related to sale of improvements while 11 involved waiver requests processed through various housing offices including Mpopoma, Mzilikazi, Magwegwe, Cowdray Park and Nkulumane,” council said.
The report also highlighted progress on the long-standing issue of double allocations under the Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai housing programme scheme.
Council said 24 cases of double allocation remain unresolved, with no cases successfully concluded during the reporting period.
According to authorities, the matter continues to be handled in line with ministerial guidelines.
On conversion of rented properties to home ownership, council reported that 436 housing units have been formally converted to date across multiple suburbs.
“In Iminyela, 185 of 1 232 units have been converted, while Mabutweni recorded 211 conversions out of 1 815 units. Emganwini has seen 41 conversions from 167 units.
“In Makokoba and Mzilikazi, 1 567 of 2 283 units have been converted, leaving 716 still under rented status,” the report reads.
Council also reported limited progress in Pumula, where four of five units have been converted to home ownership.
Officials said ongoing administrative and regularisation exercises are encouraging residents to finalise payments and formalise ownership, which has contributed to improved revenue collection for the city.
The report was ultimately received and noted by council.
