PRIVACY is no doubt a top priority for modern-day city dwellers in Zimbabwe.
This fundamental human right guarantees freedom of association, thought and expression for contemporary urbanites with class and taste for new trends in life.
Most city dwellers feel “complete” when their privacy is respected. The provision of genuine security makes life enjoyable and worth making lasting memories.
In this era when hustling has become the norm after the Covid-19-induced lockdowns, this freedom is guaranteed in gated communities.
Residing in gated communities comes with high standards and a sense of pride.
In simpler terms, a gated community is a form of a residential estate with controlled entrances and exits coupled with barricades in the form of a perimeter of walls and fences.
Madokero Estates
By manning entry and exit points, this is protects residents from intruders.
Property managers or representatives of these estates are known for vetting visitors before they can enter.
In post-apartheid South Africa, gated communities were established as a way of responding to high levels of violent crime.
Further research online has shown that they are commonly referred to as “complexes” but also broadly classified as “security villages” as they give residents the sanctuary, they deserve the most.
In short, this is how gated communities are described across the Limpopo.
In Zimbabwe, new settlements are being modelled similarly to protect residents from intruders and other rogue elements.
In Harare, Madokero, Mabvazuva, Arlington, Diamond Villas, Nyeredzi Ridge and Aspindale Park among others, are some of the newest gated communities where residents are parting with a fortune either to buy a property, a piece of land, or in rentals.
In Borrowdale, similar communities have been established where a violation of rules can easily land one in hot soup.
Order, respect and solitude are some of the values preached here. You don’t just live as you please in gated communities
The country has also seen the mushrooming of similar communities in other big cities like Bulawayo, Mutare, Gweru and Masvingo, an indication the wave is unstoppable.
To be precise, this new wave has been embraced by players in the construction sector.
Modern-day land developers, especially banks and cooperatives, are also taking a leading role in establishing gated communities.
What has raised the demand for accommodation in these areas is that they come with social amenities.
Added to that, privacy and security are guaranteed.
So high is the demand for accommodation or property ownership in gated communities where rentals have always been astronomical. Experts in real estate management concur that gated communities have ushered in a new era for modern-day city dwellers.
WestProp Holding chief relations officer, Michael Chideme, reckons that gated communities are the way to go.
“The demand is informed by the need for secure living spaces that provide amenities like surveillance cameras, 24-hour security, and automated access control.
“There is a growing appetite for quality and luxury,” he says.
Chideme, whose firm is manning gated communities comprising Pokugara, Millennium Heights, Pomona City and The Hills Luxury Golf Estate, adds: “At Westprop we provide live, work, shop and play-themed communities where the residents have access to the majority of their daily needs.
“In gated communities, advantages are that services such as green energy, reticulated water, and garbage services can be provided by the developer.
“At West Prop we provide these and our residents do not have to engage the council for garbage collection All our gated communities will on completion be provided with clubhouses, recreational centres such as children’s play areas, shopping malls, and office space.”
With locals still fascinated by the new wave, Harare Residents Trust director, Precious Shumba, said: “Gated communities are a new phenomenon in housing developments in Zimbabwe, especially in Harare.
“In the past, young couples and middle-class working people preferred to live in flats in the avenues and in the low density areas where they enjoyed relative privacy.
“Private property developers are establishing their niche in the property market by offering gated communities with enhanced security and other lifestyle conveniences,” saidShumba.
Despite all these changes, Shumba remains committed to the wishes of desperate home-seekers in towns.
“The Harare Residents Trust (HRT) has not conducted any social research to analyse the trends, but what we have observed is that there is a huge housing backlog and there are very few gated communities.
“These are considered the safest places to live in where you enjoy security and privacy.
“People also want a sense of success and exclusivity in their life, and gated communities provide them with that privilege.”
While gated communities have been embraced for promoting privacy, some believe they are now havens of crime and vice.
An informal trader, who preferred anonymity, told The Herald on Saturday Lifestyle that gated communities were now harbouring criminals involved in shady deals.
“Most of the people residing in gated communities, especially those in Harare, are dealers who don’t want bank money.
“For instance, most dealers who are into the car sales business prefer staying in gated communities where no one will bother them.
“The same applies to those pushing drugs and the other illicit stuff,” said the source.
Like any other community, immorality is also rife here.
“Gated communities are now promoting promiscuity as the rich are now doing their shenanigans in secrecy,” said the source.
However, the consensus from our findings is that there is sanity in gated communities.
A resident at Diamond Villas in Hatfield which has 58 units believes gated communities have come as a game-changer in curbing criminal activities.
“At my place intruders are barred while visitors will go through serious vetting. If one has visitors, the security has to be alerted in advance to ensure that sanity prevails.
“We have 24-hour patrols to curb criminal activities,” says the resident.
Several local celebrities have also settled in gated communities where the security is strict.
One of them is musician Killer T who once had a brush with the security at Aspindale Park, although they appear to have kissed and made up.
The overall purpose of gated communities is the provision of security and privacy.
Those who can afford life in gated communities have always enjoyed better amenities, lower crime rates and tranquillity that we people are yearning for.
Whatever happens in gated communities whether good or bad, it has to stay there.
