To the south of the city centre beyond the port and the oil refineries lie Chang’ombe and Kurasini, two spacious planned residential areas inhabited largely by civil servants. They are separated by Kilwa Road, which links Dar es Salaam to Kilwa Masoko 320 km to the south and is currently being rebuilt with Japanese aid.
Many of the properties in these areas were originally state-owned but are now being sold to private owners.
To the west of Kilwa Road is Chang’ombe, a middle-class African area with modest one or two-storey villas and plenty of greenery.
At the heart of the area is the Tanzania Cigarette Company (TCC) club, which serves food and drink and organises live music and other recreational events for the local community especially on Saturdays and Sundays. The club also hosts sports competitions and can be booked for weddings and other functions. On Sundays there is a children’s corner with food and activities for Tsh1,000 per child.
Chang’ombe also hosts the Dar es Salaam university college of education, the national service institute and the huge new Chinese built football and athletics stadium, which opened in 2007. Next to it stands the old stadium, which is still in use.
Kurasini to the east of Kilwa Road is similar in feel although there are plans to demolish some of the low-rise buildings and replace them with apartment blocks. Besides the police training academy, this area is also home to at least two religious houses, belonging to the Benedictines and the Society of the Divine Saviour; the latter is building a large church.