The government of Zimbabwe
is set to 500 000 housing units in 10 years, in line with their
Vision 2030, of a radical economic transformation programme aimed at turning
the country into an Upper Middle Income economy.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Mr George Magosvongwe said that housing units
aims at reducing the housing backlog that is currently at 1,25 million
units.
He pointed out that construction
will be under the National Command Housing Delivery Programme who will also
refurbish old flats in Mbare (Harare) and Makokoba (Bulawayo), and provide
capital to mothballed companies with potential for quick recovery.
Land has already been identified in provinces to
kick-start the massive project. The Government is also emphasizing on
densification, whereby stakeholders are encouraged to build vertically since
land is a finite resource.
“By 2030 there will be no space for
settlements like Mbare, Makokoba, McGregor, Sakubva, and many more. That is why
we have teamed up with local authorities and some experts to refurbish old
houses and flats.
Under Command Housing, the Government and other
stakeholders seek to provide settlements with attendant off-site and on-site
services, throughout the country. The country is coming from a dark era where
some contractors took contributions from struggling citizens and later
abandoned projects without completing, leaving Government to hand-hold some to
ensure they would finish the projects causing the 1,25 million housing
backlog.
Additionally, the Command Housing Programme is also
focusing on the revival of “moribund local industry in order to jump-start
productivity. “It is generally agreed the world over that sustainable human
settlement development leads to socio-economic growth of any nation and
Zimbabwe is no exception.
Provinces will thus be asked to identify industries or contractors that can be quickly resuscitated and these will be given seed capital to revive their operations,” stated Magosvongwe. https://constructionreviewonline.com/2019/02/zimbabwe-set-deliver-over-500-000-housing-units-in-10-years/
