Wash Upgrading helps unlock tenure in Masvingo

WASH upgrading helps unlock tenure

Globally, a mere 30% of the world’s population have legally registered rights to their land and homes. Unfortunately, these circumstances of land and housing tenure precarity account for growing incidences of arbitrary evictions in cities and Zimbabwe is no exception. Yet, under a very innovative partnership arrangement led City of Masvingo, Dialogue on Shelter Trust and the Zimbabwe Homeless People’s Federation land tenure security is being addressed through co-production of water and sanitation facilities in Mucheke suburb.

The WASH upgrading which started in 2020 has seen the refurbishment of old communal ablution blocks and construction of new individualized sanitation units. To date, a total of 48 sanitation units have been delivered in Mucheke - the oldest high-density suburb in Masvingo. In addition to the WASH interventions, the collaboration has also resulted in housing upgrading in the old hostels leading to increased living space in the previously crowded housing facilities. A memorandum of understanding signed by the three parties in 2020 has also catalyzed these upgrading actions. Upgrading experiences from other councils such as Bulawayo have also helped to inform the interventions in Masvingo through exchange visits. An important outcome from all these co-produced upgrades has been how they have incentivized a resolution by City of Masvingo to convert the rented housing to free-hold title cementing land and housing tenure security for groups whose urban histories have been burdened by forced evictions.