Property developer WestProp Holdings has unveiled plans for an ambitious eco-city in Chivhu, Mashonaland East, a 5 000-hectare development that will combine residential living with a private wildlife reserve, potentially becoming one of the most unique housing projects in Zimbabwe.
The project, expected to house about 20 000 residents, will include a 2 000-hectare nature reserve stocked with wildlife, including the Big Five, allowing residents to live within an urban development surrounded by natural habitats.
WestProp chief executive Ken Sharpe said the company chose Chivhu after receiving requests to expand into several towns, including Kwekwe, Gweru, Masvingo, Mutare and Bulawayo.
However, he said the company wanted a strategic location that had remained largely underdeveloped.
“We decided to look at something different — something no one has done before — to choose a location that is strategic, central, but lacks development and that location is Chivhu,” Sharpe said.
The project will integrate housing, tourism and conservation, with hotels and tourism facilities planned alongside residential neighbourhoods.
“We have realised that the land we are sitting on, about 5 000 hectares, allows us to combine what we call an eco-city where nature and humanity can coexist,” Sharpe said.
“There are not many developments in Africa — or even outside Africa — where you have a nature reserve within a residential development.”
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He said the development would allow residents to live in what he described as an “urban-rural city” surrounded by nature.
“We want to create harmony with maybe 2 000 hectares of nature reserves with private game. We want to introduce the Big Five and have about 20 000 people living in the city with access to that private game reserve.”
Sharpe said the project was a major undertaking and would not be rushed.
“It’s not a project to be taken lightly. We are very serious. It’s a big commitment and we have the right team to start doing the work,” he said.
Ground-breaking is expected later this year.
“We estimate that in about three months, by the third quarter, we will be ready to go on the ground and start execution of the project.”
The developer said the project had already attracted strong interest since its announcement.
Sharpe said demand was partly driven by a new mortgage model that allows buyers to pay for homes over 30 years — one of the longest financing periods currently available in Zimbabwe.
“I think it’s because of the model. It’s the first time in Zimbabwe in the last 20 years where anyone is offering mortgages of 30 years,” he said.
“It is a unique financing offering because people will be able to pay under US$300 a month and buy a property over 30 years.”
Sharpe said the development would also contribute to the company’s broader construction ambitions under its “billion bricks” programme.
“The billion bricks were enough for Harare to achieve a billion bricks. So this goes beyond a billion,” he said.
“Instead of looking at 2050, we can bring that closer. My team wants to try and achieve that by 2030.”
The developer also intends to engage the nearby Manhize Steel Plant, one of the country's largest industrial investments, as the eco-city could provide housing for workers linked to the project.
“It is strategically located for them. It allows them to have housing here, and we will definitely be talking to them,” Sharpe said.
He said the company also sees strong potential to mobilise investment from the Zimbabwean diaspora.
“About three to four million Zimbabweans are living outside the country. If they invest US$1 000 every year, that’s US$3 billion to US$4 billion,” he said.
“We need to look at ways of unlocking value from them.”
He added that the Chivhu development would target diaspora investors who may find property prices in major cities too high.
“In Harare and Bulawayo, properties are too expensive for many people to outlay US$50 000 or US$100 000 for land.”
Sharpe said the government could further unlock diaspora capital by introducing tax incentives for property investments.
“There is a need for government to create instruments where there are tax advantages,” he said.
