Harare

The name of the city was changed to Harare on 18 April 1982, the second anniversary of Zimbabwean independence, taking its name from the village near Harare Kopje of the Shona chief Neharawa, whose nickname was "he who does not sleep".[13] Prior to independence, "Harare" was the name of the black residential area now known as Mbare.

In the early twenty-first century, Harare has been adversely affected by the political and economic crisis that is plaguing Zimbabwe, after the contested 2002 presidential election and 2005 parliamentary elections. The elected council was replaced by a government-appointed commission for alleged inefficiency, but essential services such as rubbish collection and street repairs have rapidly worsened, and are now virtually non-existent. In May 2006, the Zimbabwean newspaper the Financial Gazette, described the city in an editorial as a "sunshine city-turned-sewage farm".[14] In 2009, Harare was voted to be the toughest city to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's livability poll.[15] The situation was unchanged in 2011, according to the same poll, which is based on stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education, and infrastructure.[16]

In May 2005, the Zimbabwean government demolished shanties, illegal vending sites, backyard cottages in Harare, Epworth and the other cities in the country in Operation Murambatsvina[17] ("Drive Out Trash"). It was widely alleged that the true purpose of the campaign was to punish the urban poor for supporting the opposition Movement for Democratic Change and to reduce the likelihood of mass action against the government by driving people out of the cities. The government claimed it was necessitated by a rise of criminality and disease. This was followed by Operation Garikayi/Hlalani Kuhle (Operation "Better Living") a year later which consisted of building concrete housing of poor quality..

In late-March 2010, Harare's Joina City Tower was finally opened after fourteen years of delayed construction, marketed as Harare's new Pride.[18] Initially, uptake of space in the tower was low, with office occupancy at only 3% in October 2011.[19] By May 2013, office occupancy had risen to around half, with all the retail space occupied.[20]

The Economist Intelligence Unit rated Harare as the world's least liveable city out of 140 surveyed in February 2011,[21] rising to 137th out of 140 in August 2012.[22] In 2018, the Harare was ranked 137 out of the 140 surveyed cities by The Economist Intelligence Unit's Global Liveability Ranking, making it the World's sixth least liveable city.[23]

In March 2015, Harare City Council planned a two-year project to install 4,000 solar street lights, at a cost of $15,000,000 starting in the central business district.[24]

In November 2017, the biggest demonstration in the history of the Republic of Zimbabwe was held in Harare which led to the forced resignation of the long-serving 93-year-old President of Zimbabwe, Robert Mugabe an event which was part of the first successful coup in Zimbabwe.[25][26]

Since the 2000, Harare has experienced periods of spectacular decline particularly in the 2000s but since the Great Recession has stabilized and experienced significant population growth along with uneven economic growth. Despite this volatility (or perhaps because of it), there has been substantial international investment and speculation in the city's financial and property markets. Major development has occurred on the urban fringes of the city has occurred in areas such as Borrowdale, Glen Lorne, The Grange, Mount Pleasant Heights, and the new suburbs of, Hogarty Hill, Shawasha Hills, Bloomingdale and Westlea resulting in urban sprawl into nearby Mount Hampden, Ruwa and Norton.[27] In addition inner east areas such as Avondale, Eastlea , Belgravia, Newlands and Milton Park have seen increased gentrification driven by speculation by expat Zimbabweans that has also attracted other foreign buyers, resulting in high property prices and widespread rent increases.[28] Harare sustained the highest population increase and urban development of any major Zimbabwean city from 2001, with other cities such as Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare largely stagnating during the same period.[29]

From 2006, the growth of the city extended into northern and western fringes, beyond the city's urban growth boundary. Predictions of the metropolitan area reaching 4 million by 2025, have sparked concerns of unchecked sprawl and unregulated development.[30] In addition, the concentration of real estate development in Harare has come at the expense of other cities such as Gweru, and Bulawayo, particularly the latter which is increasingly characterized by stagnation and high unemployment due to the collapse of many of its heavy industries. Today Harare's property market remained highly priced, pricier than regional competitors such as Johannesburg and Cape Town, with the top end of the market completely dominated by wealthier dual-citizen Zimbabweans (see Zimbabwean diaspora and Zimbabweans in the United Kingdom), Chinese and South African buyers and largely unaffordable to most locals.[27][30] Such gentrification and speculation is especially jarring given the country's high unemployment. Also in 2020, Harare was classified as an Gamma city by the Globalization and World Cities Research Network.[31]

The city sits on one of the higher parts of the Highveld plateau of Zimbabwe at an elevation of 1,483 metres (4,865 feet). The original landscape could be described as a "parkland".[32]

The Northern and North Eastern suburbs of Harare are home to the more affluent population of the city including former president Robert Mugabe who lived in Borrowdale Brooke.[33] These northern suburbs are often referred to as 'dales' because of the common suffix -dale found in some suburbs such as Avondale, Greendale and Borrowdale. The dwellings are mostly low density homes of 3 bedrooms or more and these usually are occupied by families.

Harare is often referred to as Zimbabwe's garden or sunshine city for its abundant parks and outdoor amenities.[34] There is an abundance of parks and gardens across town, many close to the CBD with a variety of common and rare plant species amid landscaped vistas, pedestrian pathways and tree-lined avenues.[34] Harare's parks are often considered the best public parks in all of Zimbabwe's major cities. There are also many parks in the surrounding suburbs, particularly the affluent Northern suburbs of Borrowdale, Mount Pleasant and Glen Lorne, north east of the central business district. Several national parks have been designated around the urban area, including the Ewanrigg Botanical Gardens, Domboshava National Park, and Lake Chivero among others. The extensive area covered by Harare is formally divided into hundreds of suburbs, along with independent municipalities such as Epworth, Mount Hampden, Norton and Chitungwiza within the greater metropolitan area.[34]

The Central Business District, Causeway, Rotten Row & The Avenues

The central business district, is characterized by wide streets and a mix of historic, post-war and modern buildings. There are some colonial-era buildings like the Parliament buildings and Civic Centre, but the rest are unremarkable post war buildings.[35] The district is also notable for a number of upmarket hotels such as the Meikles Hotel which are relatively luxurious but not particularly modern. Other downtown sights include, the Kopje Africa Unity Square, the Harare Gardens, the National Gallery, the August House parliamentary buildings and the National Archives. Causeway, a road and sub-neighborhood of central Harare, is a busy workaday area that acts as the city's embassy row, (along with Belgravia to the north east), in which numerous embassies, diplomatic missions, research institutes, and other international organizations are concentrated.[36] Additionally, many government ministries and museums such as the Zimbabwe Museum of Human Sciences, are located here.[37]

Rotten Row is a sub-district of downtown Harare that begins at the intersection of Prince Edward Street and Samora Machel Avenue and runs to the flyover where it borders Mbare on Cripps Road.[38] Rotten Row was named after a road in London of the same name. The name "Rotten Row" is a corrupted form of the French phrase ‘Route du Roi’, the King's Road.[39] It is best known as Harare's legal district home to The Harare Magistrate's Court, the City's central library and the ZANU-PF building, along with numerous law offices.[38] The neighbourhood also lends its name of to the eponymous book by Petina Gappah published in 2016.[40]

The adjacent Avenues area is most notable as the city's red light district but its image has improved as more young and relatively well-off residents have moved to the area partially gentrififying the inner suburb. However, the area remains somewhat unsafe at night.[41]

The Inner-East

Eastlea, Highlands, Greendale, Milton Park

These are generally densely populated, well-kept compact suburbs. Historically home to newly arrived immigrants and lower middle class residents the area now attracts young professionals, recent graduates and flat dwellers. Traditionally middle to lower-middle class, these neighbourhoods has become relatively more expensive and gentrified, beginning in the 1990s. The Inner East ranks among the most walkable suburbs in the City of Harare with attractive townhouses, and flats, along with mixed-use areas, making them extremely desirable not just to locals but outside investors who have fueled the city's real estate boom over the past decade.[30] These suburbs are often considered a ‘middle-zone’ between affluent northern areas like Avondale West and Glen Lorne, and the grittier city centre. Houses in Eastlea and Greendale are increasingly being bought by small businesses due to lack of space in the downtown, and as one may find an IT company that has a swimming pool and garden. Highlands is also notable for being home of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation, while Milton Park is an emerging, bohemian, mixed-use area with residential, commercial and entertainment venues.[41]

The North-East

Chisipite, Colne Valley, Borrowdale, Borrowdale Brooke, Glen Lorne, Gunhill, The Grange, Pomona, Umwimsidale, Hogarty Hill

The most affluent and developed part of the city, especially Borrowdale and Glen Lorne. Sprawling lawns, tennis courts and large mansions dot many a suburb. It is also the greenest part of Harare: with hills overlooking green Msasa trees and well-kept gardens. In recent years a number of building projects were started and stalled due to lack of money and the unpredictability of the Zimbabwean economy, which has left a number half-finished homes. Borrowdale in particular, is home to much of the country's elite, along with diplomats, business executives, expats and the second homes of wealthier members of the Zimbabwean diaspora.[41] Much of city's Anglo African population tends to congregate here, along with the rest of the Northern suburbs. Shopping centres like Borrowdale Village and Sam Levy's Village, cater to the most affluent of the city's residents. Crime is low by international standards and at night, the area is home to various pubs, bars, restaurants and nightclubs.

The North

Avondale West, Strathaven, Mount Pleasant, Alexandra Park Belgravia, Bluff Hill, Greystone Park

Well-to-do suburbs with pretty tree-lined avenues and coffee shops tucked near gardens. These are among the more well-off areas of Harare, but not as wealthy as the North-East. Avondale Shopping Centre is the areas commercial heart, noted for its theatres, flea market and independent stores. Mount Pleasant is home to the University of Zimbabwe the country's leading tertiary and research institution, which gives the area an academic and bohemian atmosphere when school is in session. Unfortunately, a lack of funding from the government means that the area is unaffordable to students, hindering the development of a true student ghetto as most students have to commute to Mount Pleasant due to a lack of student housing. Another new building in Harare is the British Embassy built in 2008 and nearby Arundel office park houses the regional United Nations offices.[41]

The North West

Avondale, Emerald Hill, Avonlea, Greencroft, Mabelreign, Malborough, Saint Andrews Park, Westgate

The city's North West is largely a leafy and residential upper middle class area best known for the outdoor mall at Westgate, home to numerous independent stores, movie theatres and other higher-end shopping. The area is also host to the new US embassy. Also, Saint Andrews Park is best known for the Warren Hills Golf Course as well as its proximity to the National Sports Stadium.

Nearby Emerald Hill is named so either due to the green colour of the hill due to the large number of trees or its Irish connections – many of the roads in the suburb have Irish names, such as Dublin, Belfast, Wicklow and Cork.[41] The area is also notable for its Catholic institutions such as St. John's High School and the Dominican Convent.[42] While the area was home to an Irish Catholic community they have largely been assimilated into the larger white Zimbabwean community or have joined the ranks of the Zimbabwean diaspora abroad. Other parts of the North West are leafy and quiet but have become slightly rough around the edges since the mid-2000s. The country's economic crisis in that decade led to thousands of local university-educated residents and professionals emigrating to the United Kingdom, Canada and Australia, thus the area lacks much of the wealth and vibrancy it had in the nineties.[41]

The East

Arcadia, Braeside, Hillside, Belvedere, Greendale, St. Martins, Newlands, Arlington,

Notable suburbs include Arcadia, Hillside and Braeside, renowned for their historic Goffal (Coloured Zimbabwean) communities and Belvedere and Greendale, noted for their Asian residents of Indian descent.

Newlands was named by Colin Duff, the secretary for Agriculture in the 1920s, who had played for Western Cape Province before heading north. When Gerhardt Van der Byl retired back to the Cape Town in 1927, he sold his farm Welmoed to the Salisbury Real Estate Co, a property vehicle owned largely by Scots. Arlington is a newer residential settlement east of the capital adjacent to Harare International Airport. Owned by former mayor of Salisbury, Mayor Brown named his farm, Arlington. He was from Iowa and joined occupational forces to collect specimens for the Smithsonian Institute in Washington, DC.[35]

The Industrial South-Central

Workington, Southerton, Willowvale, Graniteside, Tynwald

These places do as their names suggest: Harare's big factories are here, producing clothing, soft drinks, bricks and vehicles. Once home to Southern European immigrants of Greek, Italian and Portuguese extraction, most residents today are working and lower middle class Shona people and the descendants of Zambian, Mozambique and Malawian immigrants.[43][44] The 1988 Willowgate scandal implicated several members of the ZANU-PF party in a scheme where automobiles were illegally resold by various government officials.

The High Density South-West

Dzivarasekwa, Warren Park, Kuwadzana, Mufakose, Budiriro, Highfield, Glen View, Waterfalls

These areas are a mixture of medium- and high-density areas, rarely visited by outsiders. Houses are generally smaller and more tightly packed together. Some of these townships were initially set up by the city government from the 1930s onwards. Highfield is second-oldest high-density suburb in Harare was established in 1930.[41] It was established for black settlement during the United Federal Party government of Godfrey Huggins.[43] Highfield was primarily set up by the colonial Government to provide labour to the Southerton and Workington industrial areas.

Residents are mainly poor and working-class, although there are more lower middle class members who have bigger properties: the townships are varied and each has their own personality, and were home to famous musicians such as Oliver Mtukudzi and Thomas Mapfumo. They are also home to a number of small industries, however, the region also has the highest unemployment and poverty rate in the city. The poor state of the area has been exacerbated by neglect from city government, leading to a lack of adequate electric, water and sanitary services in the area. These poor conditions have led to many former residents to chose to move south to Johannesburg and other cities in South Africa, but they are quickly replaced by the internal migration of rural Zimbabweans seeking opportunity in the city.[41]

Jacaranda trees in Montagu Ave, Salisbury in 1975

Under the Köppen climate classification, Harare has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen Cwb), an oceanic climate variety. Because the city is situated on a plateau, its high altitude and cool south-easterly airflow cause it to have a climate that is cooler and drier than a tropical or subtropical climate.

The average annual temperature is 17.95 °C (64.3 °F), rather low for the tropics. This is due to its high altitude position and the prevalence of a cool south-easterly airflow.[45]

There are three main seasons: a warm, wet summer from November to March/April; a cool, dry winter from May to August (corresponding to winter in the Southern Hemisphere); and a warm to hot, dry season in September/October. Daily temperature ranges are about 7–22 °C (45–72 °F) in July (the coldest month), about 15–29 °C (59–84 °F) in October (the hottest month) and about 16–26 °C (61–79 °F) in January (midsummer). The hottest year on record was 1914 with 19.73 °C (67.5 °F) and the coldest year was 1965 with 17.13 °C (62.8 °F).

The average annual rainfall is about 825 mm (32.5 in) in the southwest, rising to 855 mm (33.7 in) on the higher land of the northeast (from around Borrowdale to Glen Lorne). Very little rain typically falls during the period May to September, although sporadic showers occur most years. Rainfall varies a great deal from year to year and follows cycles of wet and dry periods from 7 to 10 years long. Records begin in October 1890 but all three Harare stations stopped reporting in early 2004.[46]

The climate supports a natural vegetation of open woodland. The most common tree of the local region is the Msasa Brachystegia spiciformis that colours the landscape wine red with its new leaves in late August. Two introduced species of trees, the jacaranda and the flamboyant from South America and Madagascar respectively, which were introduced during the colonial era, contribute to the city's colour palette with streets lined with either the lilac blossoms of the jacaranda or the flame red blooms from the flamboyant. They flower in October/November and are planted on alternative streets in the capital. Also prevalent is bougainvillea.

Locally produced art, handicrafts and souvenirs can be purchased at Doon Estate, Uwminsdale, Avondale Market and Mbare Musika. Msasa Park and Umwinsdale in particular, host a number of galleries that produce, high-quality Shona soapstone sculptures and textiles such as Patrick Mavros studios, which has another gallery in Knightsbridge, London.[62] International brands are generally less common in Harare than in European cities, however conventional and luxury shopping can be found on Fife Avenue, Sam Nujoma (Union) Avenue, Arundel Village, Avondale, Borrowdale, Eastgate and Westgate.[63] Virtually all luxury shopping is concentrated in the wealthier Northern suburbs, particularly Borrowdale with stores that command higher prices than most visitors would expect. The Borrowdale and Borrowdale Brooke neighborhoods are regarded among the most sophisticated places in town, with upscale shopping, restaurants and amenities.[64][65]

Harare also has a good choice of supermarkets including Le Bon Marche, Pick n Pay, TM and Spar. Greater variety and independent stores tend to be concentrated in the North, Northeast and Northwest suburbs along with, surprisingly, Newlands and Greendale Avenue in Greendale.[64]

The state-owned ZBC TV maintains a monopoly on free to air TV channels in the city, with private broadcasters, such as the defunct Joy TV, coming and going based on the whims of the government.[85] As a response, the majority of the households that can afford to, subscribe to the satellite television distributor, DStv for entertainment, news and sport from Africa and abroad.

Harare is also well served by radio, with a number of the country's leading radio stations, maintaining a presence in the city. There are currently four state-controlled Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corp. channels (SFM, Radio Zimbabwe, Power FM and National FM); and private national commercial free-to-air stations, Star FM, Capital 100.4 FM and ZiFM. In addition, Channel Zim, an alternative satellite channel, and VOA Zimbabwe also broadcast via inexpensive free-to air decoders.[86] Eight newly licensed local commercial stations have been commissioned, but were not yet on air as of 2020.[86]

Commercial stations tend to show similar trends in programming, with high percentages of music, talk radio or phone-in programs and sports over infrequent news bulletins. Also despite the country's 16 official languages, virtually broadcasts occur in English, Shona and Ndebele.[86]