The Hwange Local Board (HLB) has moved to rein in the rapid spread of backyard industries by setting aside land for the town’s first designated home industry hub, a step aimed at restoring order in residential areas while formalising informal enterprise.
The local authority has identified and pegged a 4 000-square-metre site to accommodate small-scale manufacturers involved in carpentry, welding, leather-product manufacturing and related trades that have increasingly operated from homes across Hwange urban.
HLB acting director of spatial planning and land management, Themba Sibanda, said the rise in backyard industries had begun to disrupt residential neighbourhoods.
“We have seen a surge in backyard industries, which has resulted in increased noise and disorder in residential areas,” Sibanda said.
“This created the need to relocate and regulate these operations by providing a designated space where they can operate in an orderly and managed manner.”
Although mining and energy remain the backbone of Hwange’s economy, a significant number of residents earn a living through self-employment, running small industries from their backyards, including carpentry, welding and panel beating.
The new home industry space, whose set up is provided for in the 2026 budget, is expected to accommodate 35 entrepreneurs and will be fully serviced.
“The area will be properly fenced, equipped with electricity and serviced with an ablution facility,” Sibanda said.
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The initiative dovetails with the government’s policy requiring local authorities to provide decent, designated working spaces for micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs) and informal traders as part of broader efforts to formalise the informal economy.
Government views the formalisation drive as critical to boosting production, improving regulation and ensuring the sector contributes to job creation and the national fiscus.
In a related development, HLB is also constructing a state-of-the-art flea market to ease pressure on trading space, although the project has stalled for more than two years due to funding constraints.
The flea market is being financed through the Devolution Fund, while council has also identified strategic locations across Hwange for the establishment of additional market stalls.
