Online Reporter
Dr Zhemu Soda is serving as the Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities.
He was first appointed to Cabinet in August 2020 as Minister of Energy and Power Development, where he was instrumental in administering energy-related statutes and implementing critical sectoral policies that ensured stability and progress within the energy sector.
In September 2023, he was reappointed Minister of Mines and Mining Development, where he played a key role in advancing the mining value chain, promoting beneficiation and value addition, and ensuring sustainable exploitation of the country’s mineral resources.
In April 2024, he was reassigned to his current portfolio, where he continues to distinguish himself as a strategist, reformer and advocate of functional, inclusive and sustainable human settlements.
Minister Soda is an accountant by profession, having begun his career with COTTCO between 2001 and 2003, before joining Alliance Ginnery as regional manager from 2004 to 2017.
He is also a dedicated public servant and legislator, serving as Member of Parliament for Muzarabani North constituency, following his victories in both the 2018 and 2023 harmonised elections.
He also holds the position of District Coordinating Committee (DCC) Chairman for ZANU PF Muzarabani district, a role he earned through the 2020 DCC elections, further underscoring his deep connection to the grassroots leadership and community development.
Minister Soda is not merely a leader by designation, but a leader distinguished by strategic vision, pragmatic execution and an unwavering commitment to national progress.
Since assuming the Housing portfolio, he has injected renewed dynamism, discipline and purpose into the ministry.
He has championed affordable and sustainable housing delivery, deepened public-private partnerships and advanced the integration of social amenities as an essential component of every housing initiative.
He firmly believes that housing delivery transcends the mere construction of physical structures — it represents the foundation upon which social cohesion, economic productivity and sustainable national development are built.
Guided by this conviction, he has promoted housing delivery models that are both public- and private-sector driven, leveraging public-private partnerships, commercial joint ventures and private initiatives.
Under his strategic leadership, the national housing delivery target was revised from 200 000 to 1 million units by 2025, a vision whose implementation has already been achieved, bearing testament to his results-oriented leadership.
Moreover, Minister Soda’s leadership has extended beyond national borders. He has strengthened Zimbabwe’s regional and international collaborations in housing development, including with Shelter Afrique Development Bank, where his intervention resulted in Zimbabwe’s shareholding rising from 1,25 percent to 5 percent.
His proactive diplomacy and strategic engagement have also culminated in Zimbabwe’s election to the Executive Board of UN-Habitat, alongside Mozambique, to represent the Southern Africa region for the next five years; a resounding recognition of Zimbabwe’s growing influence and commitment to advancing sustainable human settlements globally.
In Minister Soda, we find a visionary strategist, an astute policymaker, and a champion of functional, inclusive and resilient human settlements; a leader whose work continues to inspire confidence in the transformative agenda of the Second Republic.
