The ManicaPost
Wimbainashe Zhakata Post Reporter
HOUSING cooperatives in Manicaland have moved a gear up in complimenting Government’s efforts to provide affordable housing to low income earners.
This is true with cooperatives such as Mahwemasimike Housing Co-operative, which was formed under Mutasa Rural District Council and has since availed residential stands to homeseekers in Tsvingwe, Mutasa and Hauna in two phases.
The cooperative has also partnered with the Zimbabwe Defence Forces to provide residential stands for soldiers under a housing fund created by Government.
In an interview with The Manica Post, director of Mahwemasimike Housing Cooperative, Rev Claudius Magarasadza said: “Our greatest achievement is that we are one of the developers who took Government’s initiative of engaging people such as civil servants and other law income earners.
“The land for housing stands was procured from Mutasa RDC. The cooperative did a survey, the layout plan, road designs and stands were pegged both in Hauna and Tsvingwe before being distributed to members who developed them. The cooperative did water reticulation and road designs too.”
He said those allocated stands in the first phase had already begun constructing their houses.
Rev Magarasadza said ZDF members who were benefiting were paying for their stands in instalments through the Zimbabwe Defence Forces- Benefit Fund (ZDF-BF).
He said the members were paying as a group and had found their own contractors to build the houses.
ZDF-BF was established to complement Government’s efforts to reduce the national housing back log by ensuring that its members acquire decent accommodation.
This initiative offers loans and stands and it assists in the construction of co-houses around the country’s 10 provinces.
Rev Magarasadza said the cooperative had also managed to allocate land to projects such as ECD centres, fish ponds, orphanage and recreation centres.
He said the cooperative was preparing to launch the second phase of the project, which would see more people who had missed out in the first phase benefiting.
