The Zimbabwean App Seeking to Reduce the Risk of Renting

Nearly everyone who has looked for a room or apartment in Harare, Bulawayo, or any other town in Zimbabwe will have a story to share: a landlord who disappeared after receiving a deposit; a listing that was photographed from an angle that concealed the leaky roof; or a WhatsApp group where five different middlemen "advertised" the same three rooms. In Zimbabwe, renting has always relied on word-of-mouth, forwarded screenshots, and often misguided confidence.

Joseph Dhliwayo, a developer from Zimbabwe, created the mobile app Pekugara in an effort to solidify that process, and to do it with the kind of AI support typically saved for products designed for far wealthier markets.

How it works

Pekugara functions fundamentally as a rental marketplace should: renters peruse listings filtered by city, price, and university proximity; landlords list actual properties with photos, prices, and amenities; and all conversations take place within the app rather than dispersed across phone numbers and WhatsApp forwards. Every new listing goes through an admin review queue before it ever reaches a renter's feed, catching duplicate posts and blatant scams before they can cause harm. Additionally, a renter pays a small $2 booking fee through EcoCash or Pesepay before any address or precise location is revealed. This is a purposeful design choice that filters out casual browsing and time-wasting.

Meet Siyakwamukela

What makes it unique is Siyakwamukela, an AI assistant created by Joseph's brother Tedmore Dhliwayo and integrated into the app. Instead of requiring a renter to manually click through filter after filter, Siyakwamukela understands a simple request like "I need a room near UZ for around $100" and surfaces listings that actually match. On an app whose users frequently search on a cracked phone screen with little data, it's a tiny feature with a huge impact.

Built for how Zimbabweans use their phones

The rest of Pekugara's design reflects this focus on how Zimbabweans actually utilize their phones. A phone number and a password are sufficient to register, and biometric login is offered for those who wish to avoid repeatedly entering their password. This eliminates the need for an email account that many tenants and landlords seldom check. Renters who already have a confirmed reservation can find someone to split the cost with thanks to an integrated House & Room Sharing feature, making a one-person lease more affordable for two.

"I kept watching people I knew get burned by the same scams, over and over, because there was nowhere trustworthy to look."

"Pekugara is not attempting to imitate a foreign real estate app," Dhliwayo said. "It is based on how locals actually look for lodging—using WhatsApp data bundles, not having an email account, and not having the time to independently confirm a stranger's account."

Available nationwide

Pekugara is currently available on Google Play and the Apple App Store, and it is available to any landlord or renter in Zimbabwe, not just students and not just in Harare or Bulawayo, but in communities all around the nation. In addition to working with his brother Tedmore Dhliwayo to integrate Siyakwamukela's AI into Pekugara, Dhliwayo has developed the app's backend, payments, and moderation tools primarily on his own. The project continues to expand, with a focus on safety and verification features as well as more sophisticated tools for landlords.

In the end, the argument is straightforward: renting a house shouldn't involve the same level of uncertainty as making an internet purchase from a complete stranger. Pekugara is wagering that this can be achieved with a small amount of verification, a small amount of artificial intelligence, and a design that takes into account how Zimbabweans actually use their phones.

Pekugara is currently accessible on Google Play and the App Store.