The ManicaPost
WITH the national population creeping up, the demand for housing has risen to alarming rates and is currently estimated at 1,5 million housing units.
The people of Manicaland are not excluded from this predicament and there is a great demand for housing across the entire province.
Due to this demand, thousands of desperate land seekers have fallen victim to land barons over the years.
This explains the emergence of informal settlements such as Gimboki, Federation and Mahalape in Mutare, among others.
Government has therefore taken a firm stance against land barons and is committed to ensuring that everyone has a decent roof over their head.
All this is being pushed through the National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1).
Housing delivery is one of the NDS1 pillars.
The key drive, therefore, is to address the inadequacies pertaining to infrastructure, and provide citizens with access to affordable and quality settlements.
The trajectory towards the attainment of Vision 2030 revolves around providing human settlements, which meet the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people, while addressing affordability and modernisation aspects.
The housing delivery pillar within the NDS1 is expected to deliver 220 000 housing units by 2025, through collective efforts from stakeholders and all parties involved in the housing sector.
All stakeholders in the sector have been called upon to put their heads together as they find solutions to the housing challenge, as well as the attendant social amenities.
This will in turn massively contribute to the overall attainment of Vision 2030, which speaks about an upper middle income economy where everyone will have access to decent accommodation.
According to President Mnangagwa’s undertaking, indeed, no one will be left behind in the nation’s drive towards a prosperous and empowered upper middle-income society by 2030.
This is why the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is working tirelessly towards reducing the number of people on the housing waiting lists.
In efforts to address the housing challenge, the ministry is spearheading implementation of the National Housing Delivery Programme (NHDP), a massive plan aimed at delivering 220 000 housing units by 2025, and over 470 000 in the long term.
In a bid to accelerate the provision of housing, Government has adopted several strategies to ensure access to housing by the majority of citizens.
The regularisation of informal settlements across the length and breadth of the province is one of the initiatives.
The people in such areas might soon find themselves holding title deeds and finally start benefitting from their respective local authorities’ services.
Government, through the National Housing Ministry, is also actively engaging the private sector for feasibility studies, designing, funding and construction of infrastructure in the informal settlements.
In these areas, construction of social amenities such as recreational facilities, clinics, schools, among others, also need to be prioritised so that the resettled people will not have to walk long distances to access those services.
The rehabilitation of old structures is also expected to make the dwellings more habitable, attractive and modern.
In instances where the structures are no longer sound, construction of new apartments shall be done.
Urban regeneration is targeting Sakubva in Mutare, among other old settlements across the country.
The Sakubva Urban Renewal, which seeks to breath some life into one of the country’s oldest suburbs, was accorded National Project Status to make sure that capital equipment and materials are imported duty free.
The focus has also been on high rise buildings that can accommodate more people using less space and resources, thereby accelerating housing delivery.
For Manicaland, the other crucial element that cannot be overstated is the need to ensure that climate resilient houses are built.
The province is prone to extreme weather conditions and therefore the houses here need to be strong enough to withstand strong winds or rains.
It is not just about providing housing units, but ensuring that they are of great quality.
