But an army of children spend the day criss-crossing the rooms oblivious of the squalor and the danger posed by the crumbling walls.
Welcome to Geneva Hostels in Highfield, which were constructed in 1976 and were named after the conference convened to negotiate Zimbabwe’s independence.
This is where you find a family of 15 living in one big room partitioned to small bedrooms to give the married ones some modicum of privacy.
“This place used to be a dump site and before long, it was graded and these low-cost houses built at an alarming speed to accommodate many of us who were still bachelors,” said Chrispen Chiguvare, who has been a resident since 1976.
“The houses were later handed over to us and we started paying rent.
“The rule that barred women from these houses changed when we got married and raised our families here.”
Tired of the squalor, the Geneva residents recently petitioned the Harare City Council demanding that the municipality stop charging them rentals. They also sought council’s help to secure alternative accommodation.
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Since independence, various councils have pledged to provide proper accommodation for the families but nothing has materialised.
When the hostels were constructed, a room was allocated to three bachelors who partitioned it to make small bedrooms. They also shared a small kitchen.
The toilets, now in a dilapidated state, are outside and are shared by at least three families each.
“We live like rats in a small hole,” said 61-year-old Stella Rugonye.
“It was better in the past because children could fit under the bed but now they are grown up and we have to share one room with our sons, daughters-in-law and grandchildren.
“It becomes worse when our daughters visit with their husbands.”
Mbuya Samora (65) said she and 10 other members of her family, mainly orphaned grandchildren, have to face different directions when sleeping to fit in their small bedroom.
“I sleep on the bed with my daughter and two other grand- children and the rest sleep on the floor,” she said.
“The eldest of those who sleep on the floor is my 18-year-old grandson and the youngest is a nine-year-old girl.
“They have to squeeze each other to fit in the little space left by our property and the girls have to face one direction and the boys the opposite.”With 15 members, Mavis Bhanire’s family is one of the biggest.
“I have three daughters-in-law so I have since moved out of the bedroom so they can share it with their husbands, my sons,” said the 55-year-old woman.
“I sleep in the kitchen with my grandchildren and my 19-year-old son who is unmarried.
“One of the families we share with has eight members while the other has five.”
The residents want to be exempted from paying rent as council once condemned the houses as unfit for human habitation.
Each family is paying US$35 up from US$4 since dollarisation in 2009.
They also appealed to council and government to refurbish the houses before they curved in and killed occupants.
For the past 10 years, the residents have also been getting water only at night and they would like council to address that and also attend to the blocked sewer system.
Council spokesman Lesley Gwindi said he could not comment on the matter as he had not seen the petition.
