Harare the early 21st century Harare has been adversely affected by the political and economic crisis that is currently plaguing Zimbabwe, after the contested 2002 presidential election and 2005 parliamentary elections. The elected council was replaced by a government-appointed commission for alleged inefficiency, but essential services such as rubbish collection and street repairs have rapidly worsened, and are now virtually non-existent. In May 2006 the Zimbabwean newspaper the "Financial Gazette", described the city in an editorial as a "sunshine city-turned-sewage farm". In 2009, Harare was voted to be the toughest city to live in according to the Economist Intelligence Unit's livability
Harare City F.C. City of Harare FC rejoined the Harare Social League where they played for five seasons before joining the Highfield Area Zone League in 2000. The club even had a change of name for two years (2000–1)- "Bhanya Mulenge FC" – before reverting to their original name (City of Harare FC) in 2002. In 2008, the club rejoined the Division 3A League and won promotion after just that one season into Division 2A. When they started playing in Division 2A (2009) they renamed the franchise to "Harare City FC". Under coach Arthur "Tuts" Tutani, the club gained promotion into the Northern