Financing Urban Social Housing In Zimbabwe Bukhosibenkosi H Moyo moyobh@munrev.com Editor, TMR eJournal Central to the requirements of SDG 11 is the provision of social housing, but housing remains an elusive basic commodity for many Zimbabweans. Each economic blueprint adopted by the Zimbabwean government, as well as each political manifesto makes impressive promises to deliver on the social housing front but as the years continue to roll, there is minimal progress there. With a combined population of 2,2 million in Zimbabwe’s two main urban cities, Harare and Bulawayo (February 2019), combined applicants on official waiting lists sits at over 500,000. Statistics from Bulawayo City Council reveal that in the past 15 years, the council has only managed to service 20,000 stands. At an average cost of USD15,000 to build a basic low cost house, the local authorities   require USD4,5 billion, that is almost the entire national budget, to clear this list. As a result, the local

Regardless of where we reside, we have a government that superintends over us. At a more local and personal level, the government structure provides for a local government that oversees our daily welfare on a non exchange basis. In non exchange transactions, communities receive value from a local authority without directly giving approximately equal value in exchange. Residents in local communities benefit from roads, social services and libraries. In exchange, these residents pay fixed rates periodically. These rates have no bearing on the frequency or magnitude of use of the pubic services availed. The city councils, municipalities and rural district councils therefore ensure that we have roads, lighting, water and that refuse is collected. These services are necessities for the functioning and health of our communities.   It is the government’s role to ensure that the country’s resources are distributed equitably within a community and that everyone has equal access to basic s