Contrary to what the media feeds us, Steven Ndukwu set out to give us a proper view of the bed-of-roses communities in Zimbabwe. The Republic of Zimbabwe, just like every other country, has a neighborhood where 1% of its population lives, works, and goes to school. All these neighborhoods are clustered in Harare Northern Suburbs There, the roads are smooth and dotted with luxury automobiles, real estate properties sit on large plots of land with high-profile security, and as Steven said, those who live there live long. Many of the people inhabiting these communities got rich via the mining and agriculture sectors.
In this article, Steven Ndukwu covers the top 5 most expensive neighborhoods in Harare, Zimbabwe. As he observed, homes tend to increase in price and value towards the north. His team’s expedition was then focused on the northern part of Harare.
5. Greystone Park, Northern Harare
The fifth position on our list is a purely residential suburb, 30 minutes away. CBD—Central Business District. Structures here are predominantly in the European architectural style. Steven Ndukwu stayed in a two-bedroom guest cottage during his time here. The quarters were originally designed to be a guest cottage attached to the main house, which has five bedrooms. So that’s a total of seven bedrooms in the 5,000-square-meter mansion. This home features a 5-car garage, a poultry farm, a pool, a gym, and tennis and basketball courts. All these are worth 1 million to 2 million American dollars.
A typical 5-bedroom townhouse in Greystone Park costs about 800,000 USD, while a 2000-square-meter plot of land will sell for an average of 100,000 USD. The class of people inhabiting Greystone Park are high-net-worth citizens, foreigners working in UN embassies, consuls, and government officials. Greystone Park features worship centers, a few banks, schools, and supermarkets.
4. Shawasha Hills, Northern Harare
The 4th most expensive neighborhood to live in Zimbabwe is Shawasha Hills. As the name implies, this community is located on a hill with epic views. This is where you can find small homes sitting on huge acres of land. Steven Ndukwu stayed here for some days while he explored the modern and contemporary buildings in the neighborhood. “I was made to understand that this place is home to newly-made Zimbabwe millionaires because of the kind of structures that are being built.” This area is the hottest place to own a mansion. 5-bedroom houses cost $950,000, while 1900 sq m of land is being sold for $450,000.
The suburb is close to Chisipite, another neighborhood where residents of Shawasha Hills can find malls, markets, banks, and schools.
3. The Highlands, North-Eastern Harare
Coming in third are the Highlands. You guessed it, it is a settlement of high altitude, attracting nearly all city radio mast towers in the country, Multichoice, and the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation. The neighborhood was transformed on November 15, 1960, when TV was introduced. ZBC TV, formerly known as RTV, was the second television studio to launch in Africa, after Nigeria’s, and the first in Southern Africa.
Every square meter of this neighborhood is covered with greenery and trees. As a town planning code, The Highland takes foliage very seriously. No building is allowed to be taller than the trees, so there are no high-rises or buildings more than 3 stories tall.
At over 5300 feet high, the view of the city is breathtaking. In Steven Ndukwu’s words, “It is hard to ignore the paranormal view of Harare from up here.”
The Highlands are close to the best private schools you can find in Zimbabwe and home to some first-class citizens in society. It was even known to house the former vice president of Zimbabwe.
Homes here typically sell for $600,000 to $2.5 million on 4000-6000 sq m of land.
2. Glen Lorne, North Eastern Harare
The affluent suburb of Glen Lorne, or Glen Lorne Farms or Enterprise Valley Beyond the City Limits, is a hilly, prestigious settlement for a high caliber of people, including Kembo Mohadi, the vice president of Zimbabwe. Glen Lorne features modern houses and such high vegetation that The Mill and Guardian rated it as the number one greenest part of Harare.
Few of the properties here are Nigerian-owned, while the bulk are filled with an Alglo-African population. The crime rate
is very low by international standards, though the nightlife is vibrant with the many pubs, bars, clubs, etc.
A 4000-square-meter plot of land here goes for $140,000, while a 5-bedroom duplex is priced at 600,000 to 2.6 million dollars.
The difference between Glen Lorne and the Highlands doesn’t appear to be that much. It just depends on whether you prefer to live on a flatland or hill, close to town or not.
1. Borrowdale, North-Eastern Harare
Home to the wealthy and predominantly white anglophone population, Borrowdale used to be the only wealthy community in Zimbabwe for decades. According to the last population census in 2012, there are 20,000 people living in Borrowdale. The neighborhood features the top schools, the biggest malls, and the headquarters of multinational corporations. It is also known as the most expensive place to own real estate in Zimbabwe.
West Prop Holdings is one of the leading real estate developers in Harare. Steven Ndukwu inquired from them about the properties in Borrowdale. One of their latest developments is the Millennium Heights, an up-market and sought-after apartment complex featuring studio, 1-bedroom, and 2-bedroom units.
Though still under construction, blocks 1 and 2 are sold out, starting at $36,277.39 to $255,797.29, while block 4 is the most anticipated because, upon completion, it will have 3-bedroom apartments. Their goal is to have 1 billion bricks on the ground while building their estate, which will have a recreational park, sports facilities like a baseball court, a cafe, office or shared office spaces, and meeting rooms with over 1000 apartments housing over 100,000 people.
Brook Golf Estate
This gated community in Borrowdale is the number one address in the entire country. Brook Golf Estate has a golf course as its centerpiece. The houses here are not fenced at all, and most homes have foreigners living within them. The most expensive house here is $3.5 million. It is a leading destination if you require lots of land, greenery, tranquility, and fresh air.
Let us know which of these destinations caught your eye by commenting on Steven Ndukwu’s YouTube video. Subscribe to his YouTube channel to find other videos like this, and we will see you next time.