Harare, Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe's title is a public deeds register, but it opens one search at a time: the Harare Deeds Registry charges US$5 for a search for any document, its electronic registry is open only to registered users, and no bulk owner file or per-sale price record is published.
7 buildings · 5 with an owner established · 34 sources · 5 tier B · 2 tier A · prepared 2026-10-21
Can you find out who owns it?
Land in Zimbabwe is registered under the Deeds Registries Act [Chapter 20:05], with registries in Harare and Bulawayo. The registry's fee schedule, replaced by Statutory Instrument 11 of 2024, charges US$5 'for a search conducted for any document' and US$1 a page for copies, so an owner can be looked up for a fee, one property at a time, if you know what to search for. A 2017 amendment created an electronic registry, but its use is 'restricted to registered users' who sign a user agreement (US$120 to register, US$100 a year), and nothing is published in bulk.
Is ownership public?Public, but one paid search at a time
Cost of one title searchUS$5 'for a search conducted for any document'; copies US$1 per page; certification US$20 (Deeds Registries Regulations Second Schedule, as substituted by SI 11 of 2024; payable in ZWL at the RBZ interbank mid-rate)
Bulk ownership dataNone published
Sale pricesNo transaction data published
Sites that forbid taking their data
- www.zb.co.zw (ZB Financial Holdings, incl. Mashonaland Holdings pages) — “Unless expressly stated otherwise, no user may copy, print, modify, sell, transfer or otherwise assume that any licence or right has been granted to any contents, information or software on this website. Users may, however, download or print website contents owned by ZB Financial Holdings Limited only for their own personal non-commercial use, or for other legally permitted purposes. Other websites are prohibited from linking to or framing this website without ZB Financial Holdings Limited's prior written consent.”
- fingaz.co.zw (The Financial Gazette) — “3.5 Prohibited Uses Use of our content for AI or machine learning purposes without explicit permission is strictly prohibited.”
- rtgafrica.com (Rainbow Tourism Group) — “You may view and/or print pages from rtgafrica.com/ for your own personal use subject to restrictions set in these terms of service. You must not: Republish material from rtgafrica.com/ ... Reproduce, duplicate or copy material from rtgafrica.com/”
1
The marquee buildings
The towers that set the tone of the core, and who holds them. A price is the price a document states, on the date it states — not an estimate of what the building is worth now.
| Building | Use | Owner | Owner type | Last price paid |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| New Reserve Bank Tower (Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe headquarters) Samora Machel Avenue, Harare CBD |
Office | Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's tallest building: 120 m and 28 floors (Wikipedia, List of tallest buildings in Zimbabwe). Wikipedia's Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe article: the central bank ran a design competition in the late 1980s for 'the bank's new headquarters'; construction ran 1993–1997 and it was officially opened on 31 May 1996; the bank's earlier building was also on Samora Machel Avenue. Ownership rests on the bank having built its own headquarters, from an encyclopaedia, and rbz.co.zw refused us (403, even robots.txt), so tier B. The central bank is state-owned. |
Government | —B |
| Hyatt Regency Harare The Meikles (Meikles Hotel) Jason Moyo Avenue at Third Street, facing Africa Unity Square, Harare CBD |
Hotel | Albwardy Investment (Dubai), through its Zimbabwean vehicle ASB Hospitality The Chronicle (Zimpapers), 10 Feb 2020: Meikles Hospitality's disposal of Meikles Hotel 'has now passed the approval stage'; 'The hotel is being sold for US$20 million to a Dubai-based Entity, Albwardy Investments and shall be run through the company's Zimbabwean investment vehicle, ASB Hospitality.' The seller could not raise the US$30M needed to modernise it; the EGM approved the sale on 13 Dec 2019. Wikipedia (Meikles Limited) says the company owned the hotel 'until 2020' and names it Hyatt Regency Harare The Meikles — Hyatt is the brand/operator, not the owner. Completion date from Wikipedia, so tier B. |
Private company | US$20 million 2020-02 Agreed price per the Feb 2020 report; all regulatory approvals then received, completion 'underway'. Wikipedia dates the sale to 2020. B |
| Eastgate Centre Harare CBD (Wikipedia: Eastgate New Complex) 55,000 m² (Wikipedia infobox) · 9 floors |
Mixed use | Old Mutual Zimbabwe (property held for its life and pension funds) The Herald, 8 Feb 2011: 'Old Mutual runs one of the largest property businesses in Zimbabwe and owns the High Glen Shopping Centre, Chitungwiza Town Centre, Westgate and Eastgate shopping malls'; the company said 'The property portfolio managed by Old Mutual belongs to pension funds and policyholders'. Wikipedia's infobox gives the owner as Old Mutual Properties / Old Mutual Zimbabwe Ltd, nine floors and 55,000 m²; Opened 1996; naturally ventilated. In Dec 2018 Old Mutual opened the adjoining US$21.4M Eastgate Market SME complex, 12,000 m² of retail (Business Weekly). The 2011 ownership statement is the latest found, so tier B. |
Public company | —B |
| Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport (formerly Harare International Airport) Airport Road, south-east Harare |
Civic | Not established the register is open, but this building was not matched The airport is run by the Airports Company of Zimbabwe (Private) Limited (ACZ), which says it 'was established in 2018 through an Act of Parliament. The Civil Aviation Amendment Act, 2018 (No. 10 of 2018)', with a mandate 'To acquire, establish, develop, maintain, manage, control and operate airports in Zimbabwe'; its head office is in the airport's international terminal. Wikipedia: opened 1957 as Salisbury Airport; runway 4,725 m. ACZ's page does not say whether title to the airport land passed to it from the State or the Civil Aviation Authority, and its 'Annual Financial Results' page was empty, so the titleholder is left open — the operator is not necessarily the owner. |
Not established | —A |
| Joina City Harare CBD |
Mixed use | Masawara Plc (an interest, with co-owners; as reported 2015) an interest — size not stated; 'co-owners' also paid Wikipedia's list of Zimbabwe's tallest buildings puts Joina City third: 105 m, 24 floors, completed 2010. Sunday Mail (Zimpapers), 10 May 2015: Masawara Plc's 'Zimbabwe interests include Joina City – a premium, multi-purpose property located in central Harare'; occupancy rose to 72% in Dec 2014; 'Masawara's share of the fair value gain on the investment property was US$860 000'; 'The total cash paid out to the co-owners of Joina City during the year was US$970 000'. So it is jointly owned and Masawara's stake is not stated; the co-owners are not named and nothing later than 2015 was found. Tier B for that reason. |
Public company | —B |
| Rainbow Towers Hotel & Harare International Conference Centre (formerly Sheraton Harare) 1 Pennefather Avenue, Harare (western edge of the CBD) |
Hotel | Not established the register is open, but this building was not matched RTG's 2019 annual report lists Rainbow Towers Hotel & Conference Centre under 'LEASED', not 'OWNED' and its lease note gives Rainbow Towers a 25–30-year term with 18 years remaining at 31 Dec 2019 and an extension option. Its history says the Government of Zimbabwe commissioned the 5-star hotel and conference centre in 1983; it opened in 1985 under a Sheraton management contract, with the conference centre run by the tourism ministry. The report does not name the lessor, so the titleholder is left open; the State is the likely candidate but no document seen says so. RTG is the lessee and operator. |
Not established | —A |
| National Sports Stadium Harare, a short distance from the National Heroes' Acre (Wikipedia) |
Civic | Government of Zimbabwe Zimbabwe's largest stadium (60,000; Wikipedia), opened 1987, closed after a 2020 CAF ban. Chronicle, 24 Sep 2024: the Finance Minister told Parliament it needs a US$25.4M refurbishment per a July 2024 Ministry of Local Government and Public Works presentation; only US$6.75M was contracted. Herald, 26 Aug 2026: CAF Category 3 approval followed works costing 'about US$12.5 million', funded by Sakunda Holdings (about US$9.7M on 55,000 bucket seats, US$1.2M on the pitch); the sports minister called it 'the national facility'. State ownership rests on its being run, funded and contracted by government ministries — no title document was seen, so tier B. |
Government | —B |
2
The core land
The most valuable ground in the city, and what the public record says about it.
No assessed value is published per parcel in Harare. The City of Harare rates non-residential property on the valuation of land and improvements under section 252 of the Urban Councils Act [Chapter 29:15], and residential property by rating zone, with the costliest zones in the northern low-density suburbs. The roll itself is not published; the tariff schedule is.
Commercial and industrial rate, 2026 (proposed)2.63 US cents per US$ of land value; 1.58 cents per US$ of improvements (2025: 2.50 / 1.50)
City of Harare 2026 Budget Tariffs, s. 3.1.1, 'Cents in the USD dollar upon the value of that rateable property', calculated monthly; on public deposit with objections due 1 Dec 2025.
Highest residential rating zone, 2026US$90.00 unit charge — Hogerty Hill (zone 1, minimum stand 4,500 m²)
Same schedule: Helensvale US$85; Vainona, Pomona, Mount Pleasant, Luna, Groombridge US$80 (zone 4, 4,000 m² stands); charges unchanged from 2025.
Flats rate, 2026 (proposed)0.26 US cents per US$ of land value; 0.95 cents per US$ of improvements
City of Harare 2026 Budget Tariffs, s. 3.1.2.
Prime rents quoted by Old Mutual (2011)US$25/m² industrial, US$6/m² offices, US$10/m² retail (as printed)
The Herald, 8 Feb 2011, quoting the company's 'prime rates'; an old benchmark, kept because no newer citable rent index was found.
3
Who owns the town
At this scale the significant owner is rarely a trust or a fund: it is one or two local holding companies, a family in its second or third generation, and often the land around the town rather than the buildings in it.
In Harare the large holders are public: the State (which owns most peri-urban and agricultural land since land reform), the City of Harare as custodian of all municipal land and the remaining council rental housing, state enterprises such as the Airports Company of Zimbabwe and the railways, and the insurers' and pension funds' property arms. No register-wide count by owner is published, so holdings below are as each body or a report states them.
| Name | Type | Holdings |
|---|---|---|
| Government of Zimbabwe (the State — Ministry of Lands; Ministry of Local Government and Public Works) Herald, 2 Oct 2016: at a joint press conference the lands and local-government ministers said 'all farms around Harare remained State land', naming illegally settled farms in Ruwa, Seke and Norton; the Government will not recognise settlements without a developer's permit. Herald, 21 Aug 2024: the Commission of Inquiry into the Governance of Harare heard that a 200 m² stand on invaded land sold for about US$3,000 and was then pushed for 'regularisation', with the city getting nothing. No hectare count of State land in or around Harare was found. |
Government | 'all farms around Harare remain State land' (2016); total hectares not publishedA |
| City of Harare (Harare City Council) Sunday Mail, 19 Jan 2025: the acting Town Clerk said there are 'almost 7 000 properties throughout the city, excluding Mbare Flats' on council rental, which council will convert to homeownership for tenants of over 20 years; at Independence most council houses were converted to private ownership but 'block title deeds on many properties delayed the issuance of individual titles'. The council's Valuation and Estates division is 'the custodian of all Municipal land and properties' and responsible for 'the disposal and acquisition of land and buildings' (City of Harare Finance Department page). |
Government | almost 7,000 council rental properties, plus Mbare Flats (Jan 2025)A |
| Old Mutual Zimbabwe (for its policyholders and pension funds) Herald, 8 Feb 2011: Old Mutual 'runs one of the largest property businesses in Zimbabwe and owns the High Glen Shopping Centre, Chitungwiza Town Centre, Westgate and Eastgate shopping malls'; 'The property portfolio managed by Old Mutual belongs to pension funds and policyholders'. Herald, 24 Jun 2024: it is developing 8.3 hectares of its land at Prospect. No current portfolio total was found. |
Public company | Eastgate, Westgate, Highglen, Chitungwiza Town Centre (2011); 8.3 ha at Prospect (2024)A |
| University of Zimbabwe Wikipedia: the Mount Pleasant campus 'spans 299 hectares (740 acres)', the main part of a zone reserved for educational use between Mount Pleasant Drive, Upper East Road, Churchill Avenue and Teviotdale Road; about a third is seasonal wetland left undeveloped; 171 buildings. Its Thornpark Estate farm (1,636 ha) lies outside Harare in Mazowe District. A public university; the title itself was not seen, so tier B. |
Institution | 299 ha main campus, Mount Pleasant (171 buildings); 1,636 ha farm in Mazowe DistrictB |
5
Who builds the houses
New-home building in this market: the volume, and the firms behind it. Ownership of a builder matters as much as its volume — a private-equity platform and a family firm behave differently.
Formal housing in Harare is built in three ways: the City of Harare sells serviced stands and a few houses to a waiting list it cannot keep up with; insurers, pension funds and building societies (Old Mutual and its CABS, Mashonaland Holdings, First Mutual) build estates for their investment portfolios; and private developers build gated estates in the northern suburbs. The proposed Harare Master Plan 2024–2045, as reported in Sept 2026, counts a 300,000-name waiting list in 2024 against 3,897 council units in 11 years, and about 300,000 informal residential developments around the city. No league table of builders exists; figures below are from each company's own statements as reported.
| Name | Type | Units / project |
|---|---|---|
| City of Harare Sunday Mail, 27 Sep 2026, citing the proposed Harare Master Plan 2024–2045: the council 'delivered only 3 897 units' over 11 years (34 in 2014; 1,458 in 2018; 1,274 in 2023; 212 in 2024) while the waiting list rose from 150,855 in 2014 to 300,000 in 2024; a separate count gives 288,885 as at 31 May 2024 (103,885 active). The plan says cluster housing in low-density areas is mainly built 'by individuals and private players'. |
Government | 3,897 units in 2014–2024A |
| Old Mutual Zimbabwe (incl. CABS, Central Africa Building Society) Herald, 24 Jun 2024: Old Mutual launched the US$12M Prospect 1 project in Harare — 136 four-bedroom houses and 144 flats in four blocks, on '8,3 hectares of land within the Prospect industrial park area' — and cited its earlier 'Budiriro housing projects of 3 000 units'. Herald, 1 Aug 2016: CABS, an Old Mutual subsidiary, had sold only 700 of the 2,800 houses built at Budiriro with Harare City Council; the group put in over $15M. |
Public company | Budiriro: ~3,000 units (2,800 built by 2016); Prospect 1: 136 houses + 144 flats, US$12MA |
| West Properties Zimbabwe (WestProp) Herald, 2 Apr 2021: cleared by the authorities and the Environmental Management Agency for developments in Borrowdale and Pomona; Pokugara estate phase one earmarks 'over 150 town houses'; Millennium Heights apartments behind Dandaro; completed Gunhill Rise and Homelands 263 (Mount Pleasant); Pomona City 'will incorporate several thousand homes', sold partly on a leasehold model. Ownership of the developer is not stated in the article. |
Private company | Pomona City: 'several thousand homes' planned; Pokugara: 150+ town houses (phase 1)A |
| Mashonaland Holdings Limited Herald, 11 Apr 2023: the Bluffhill cluster project, launched June 2021, was 87% complete; 'all 25 units of the completed cluster houses were sold out prior to development'. The company's portfolio was then 55% office space, which it plans to cut to 29% CBD office. |
Public company | MashView Gardens, Bluffhill: US$3.6M cluster development; 25 units in phase 1A |
| First Mutual Properties Limited Business Weekly, 20 Dec 2024: 'First Mutual Properties also has a residential trading stock of two- and three-bedroomed garden flats in Avondale, Harare.' Number of units not given. |
Public company | garden-flat trading stock, Avondale (count not stated)A |
6
Commercial landlords
The commercial side, counted separately from housing: who holds the office, retail and industrial floor area.
Harare's institutional landlords are the property arms of insurers, pension funds and banks, most of them listed on the Zimbabwe Stock Exchange (ZSE) or the Victoria Falls Stock Exchange (VFEX), plus a few REITs launched since 2022. Since the 2019–2024 currency turmoil they report in US dollars. Figures below are as the companies stated them in results reported by the state-owned Herald; most portfolios are national, with Harare the bulk.
| Name | Type | Portfolio |
|---|---|---|
| Mashonaland Holdings Limited (ZSE: MASH) Herald, 28 Mar 2025, on FY2024 results: integrating the Pomona Commercial Centre ('a US$14,6 million investment', 14,000 m² of wholesaling and warehousing space, 82% pre-opening occupancy) 'increased the total assets under management to US$94,9 million'; rental income rose from US$4.9M to US$5.6M; revenue US$7M; it added the 2,134 m² Milton Park Day Hospital, built under a development-and-lease arrangement. ZB Financial Holdings lists the company among its group businesses (zb.co.zw); its portfolio 'includes prime commercial, industrial, retail and residential properties spread across the country'. |
Public company | US$94.9M assets under management (FY2024)A |
| Tigere Real Estate Investment Trust (ZSE), managed by Tigere Property Fund Herald, 18 Dec 2025: in Q4 2025 the REIT bought Greenfields Retail Centre and Zimre Park Drive-Thru for an 'all-in consideration of US$25,13 million', issuing 770.5 million new units, at net initial yields of 9.20% and 7.74%; market capitalisation then 'over US$101 million'. Herald, 6 Mar 2026: the fund manager targets US$100M net asset value by end-2026 and US$200M by 2028; the portfolio is 'dominated' by retail assets. Locations of the two acquisitions are not stated in the articles. |
REIT | market cap over US$101M (Dec 2025); NAV target US$100M by end-2026A |
| First Mutual Properties Limited (formerly Pearl Properties; subsidiary of First Mutual Holdings) Business Weekly (Zimpapers), 20 Dec 2024: 'a significant property portfolio, comprising some 117 250 square metres of lettable space made up of office parks, retail shops, commercial and industrial property. It owns and manages 41 buildings in the major economic hubs of Zimbabwe'; it also holds residential trading stock of garden flats in Avondale, Harare. |
Public company | 117,250 m² lettable; 41 buildingsA |
?
Looked for and not found
Claims this page would have made if a source could be opened. They are left out rather than guessed.
- Joina City's co-owners and Masawara's stake: the 2015 Sunday Mail report says the building is co-owned but names no one else; a Deeds Registry search (US$5) would settle it.
- The lessor of Rainbow Towers: RTG's 2019 report shows it as leased (25–30-year term) but does not name the landlord; the Government commissioned the building in 1983.
- Title to Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport: ACZ operates it under the Civil Aviation Amendment Act 2018; whether title passed from the State or CAAZ was not established.
- Karigamombe Centre (92 m, 20 floors): widely described as a Mashonaland Holdings building, but no opened source says so.
- Mall of Zimbabwe (Gwanzura/Borrowdale area), Sam Levy's Village and Westgate: not established; Sam Levy's Village is left out because the owning company's name is a person's full name. Westgate is named as Old Mutual's in the Herald (2011) and a 2020 Business Weekly profile, but not checked further.
- New Parliament of Zimbabwe at Mount Hampden is outside the City of Harare (Zvimba district), so it is not a Harare marquee; the old Parliament Building in the CBD was not researched.
- First Mutual Properties' FY2024 valuation of US$132.9M (Knight Frank) appears in a search snippet of a NewsDay report that returned 404 when opened; a 2026 voluntary ZSE delisting is also reported but not verified.
- Mashonaland Holdings' FY2025 portfolio of US$94.7M and 37 properties / 110,068 m² GLA appear in search snippets only (NewsDay / africanfinancials, not opened).
- Commercial landlords not covered: Zimre Property Investments, Dawn Properties, Revitus Property Opportunities REIT (VFEX), Fidelity Life, NSSA (National Social Security Authority) and the pension funds' direct holdings — no opened source gave figures.
- National Railways of Zimbabwe, the churches and the City of Harare's land bank in hectares: the council keeps a 'City Land Bank Register' (Finance Department page) but it is not published.
- Transactions: no official per-sale or price-index series for Harare was found; agents' portals were not used.
§
Sources
- Deeds Registries (Amendment) Regulations, 2024 (No. 18), Statutory Instrument 11 of 2024 — Second Schedule (fees) — Government of Zimbabwe (Government Gazette supplement, 2 Feb 2024), distributed by Veritas · openA
- Deeds Registries Amendment Act, 2017 (No. 8) — new Part VIII, Electronic Registry (ss. 89–94) — Parliament of Zimbabwe (Government Printer), via FAOLEX · openA
- Meikles Hotel disposal nears conclusion (Chronicle, 10 Feb 2020) — Zimpapers — The Herald / Chronicle · openA
- Meikles Limited — Wikipedia · openA
- Eastgate Centre, Harare — Wikipedia · openA
- List of tallest buildings in Zimbabwe — Wikipedia · openA
- Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport — Wikipedia · openA
- National Sports Stadium (Zimbabwe) — Wikipedia · openA
- Mash Hold navigates tough trading year to register growth (28 Mar 2025) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Tigere Property Fund anticipates strong 2026 with rising earnings and strategic acquisitions (18 Dec 2025) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Tigere REIT targets US$100m NAV, amid growth momentum (6 Mar 2026) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Mashonaland Holdings — ZB Financial Holdings · openA
- Old Mutual defends property rentals (8 Feb 2011) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Did you know?: Old Mutual Zimbabwe's history (Business Weekly, 6 Mar 2020) — Zimpapers — Business Weekly / The Herald · openA
- Old Mutual sets prices for Eastgate Complex (Business Weekly, 14 Dec 2018) — Zimpapers — Business Weekly / The Herald · openA
- About Us — Airports Company of Zimbabwe (Private) Limited — Airports Company of Zimbabwe · openA
- Masawara posts US$16,1m profit (Sunday Mail, 10 May 2015) — Zimpapers — Sunday Mail / The Herald · openA
- About First Mutual Properties Limited (Business Weekly, 20 Dec 2024) — Zimpapers — Business Weekly / The Herald · openA
- Harare grants home ownership to Mbare Flats residents (Sunday Mail, 19 Jan 2025) — Zimpapers — Sunday Mail / The Herald · openA
- Harare delivers only 3 897 homes as waiting list balloons to 300 000 (Sunday Mail, 27 Sep 2026) — Zimpapers — Sunday Mail / The Herald · openA
- Massive housing projects for Harare (2 Apr 2021) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Old Mutual Zim unveils US$12m housing project (24 Jun 2024) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- MashView Gardens Phase One nears completion (11 Apr 2023) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- CABS to launch rent-to-buy scheme (1 Aug 2016) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Finance Department — Valuation and Estates — City of Harare · openA
- Rainbow Tourism Group Annual Report 2019 (group structure; note 7.2 lease liabilities; history 1981–2000) — Rainbow Tourism Group Limited · openA
- Rainbow Towers: Centre of Zim's hospitality (24 Jan 2013) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- US$25 million needed for National Sports Stadium (Chronicle, 24 Sep 2024) — Zimpapers — Chronicle / The Herald · openA
- National Sports Stadium certified for international football after major Sakunda upgrade (26 Aug 2026) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- City of Harare 2026 Budget Tariffs (property tax, rents, water) — on public deposit — City of Harare · openA
- Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe — Wikipedia · openA
- University of Zimbabwe — Wikipedia · openA
- Hands off State land, 'barons' warned (2 Oct 2016) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA
- Commission exposes Harare land scam (21 Aug 2024) — Zimpapers — The Herald · openA