COMMAND HOUSING BEGINS

GOVERNMENT has identified over 107 000 sites across Zimbabwe for construction of houses under the Command Housing programme.

The scheme, which President Emmerson Mnangagwa is expected to officially launch, is targeting 470 000 houses in the next five years. Designs under the programme have been completed with the focus on high-rise modern apartments.

Zimbabwe’s housing backlog is estimated at 1,3 million units, with 500 000 of those needed in Harare.

Plans are underway to build houses in rural areas in line with President Mnangagwa’s drive to modernise the entire country. This will be done under a Human Settlement Policy.
Secretary for Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Mr George Magosvongwe said a pilot Command Housing scheme would be done in Mt Hampden.

He said the programme included revamping of existing infrastructure and residential suburbs such as Mbare in the capital and Makokoba in Bulawayo.

Government has availed US$150 million for the first phase of the programme.
“It’s important to note that we can’t continue dishing out arable land to housing projects. This means that developers have to build vertically rather than horizontally.

“President Mnangagwa has emphasised the need to address rural housing, thus we will work with other Government entities to ensure that title deeds are availed in both urban and rural areas as a way of modernising our communities and stemming rural-urban migration.”
Mr Magosvongwe said local authorities had been tasked to come up with regeneration plans showing how they intended to improve living conditions.

“Meetings have been held with banks, pension funds and other stakeholders since the programme can only be achieved through collective efforts,” he added.

Illegal settlements have mushroomed in and around urban areas over the last 20 years, many of them lacking essential services like potable water and sewer infrastructure.


Rural and urban planning expert Mr Nyasha Mutsindikwa said Command Housing was a noble idea which would spur development. Sunday Mail

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