A nationwide housing programme to provide affordable houses
and modern residential flats has begun, a Cabinet Minister has said.
Pilot projects for the construction of blocks of flats in
Goromonzi and Murehwa have since been unveiled.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is
presently working with corporates as well as local and international financiers
to fund construction of modern accommodation.
The project will also see the construction of shopping
malls to encourage the development of rural towns.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe
recently indicated that the creation of a fully-fledged housing ministry in
November last year showed President Mnangagwa’s commitment to housing delivery.
“The President saw it fit to create a fully fledged
ministry to deal with issues that are affecting our economy,” said Minister
Garwe.
“The term housing is a generic term. We are looking at
housing with respect to residential accommodation, institutional accommodation,
industrial accommodation and any building that you can see under the sun. So,
it is not just residential houses alone.
“The shopping amenities refer to shopping malls, schools,
clinics and hospitals. “We want to create industrial hubs in our growth
centres.
“We are happy to announce that POSB, CABS and FBC banks are
already on board. We have pilot projects in Goromonzi and Murewa. We are going
to put up 20 flats there and another 20 flats in Melfort. We are looking at
developing RDCs (Rural District Councils) by building shopping malls there.”
He said private sector players were ready to bankroll the
programme. “We have held several meetings with pension funds, the corporate
world, members of the regional community and Pan-African banks.
“They have agreed to come on board. We are in the process
of developing construction models like Built, Operate and Transfer (BOT), as
well as Public-Private Partnerships (PPPs).”
Many corporates are said to be keen to form partnerships
with Government and get land to build houses for their workers.
“These houses can then be availed for the mortgage that
applies for social housing and institutional accommodation,” he said. Sunday Mail
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