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Victor Maphosa Mashonaland East Bureau
CONSTRUCTION of blocks of flats for civil servants in Marondera by Government, through the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, is on course with the contractor, Leengate Civil Engineering Contractors aiming to complete the buildings next month.
The massive development is a clear demonstration that the Second Republic, under President Mnangagwa, is walking the talk on providing modern houses that meet Zimbabwe’s goal of becoming an upper middle income society by 2023.
Construction of Marondera flats is being done in two phases with four blocks accommodating 64 families being constructed in the first phase, while two blocks of flats would be constructed in the second phase that will benefit 32 families.
Each block will have four floors and already, block 1 and 2 are roofed.
Yesterday, officials from the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities visited the construction site on a monitoring and evaluation programme for the first phase of the project.
They were accompanied by Leengate Civil Engineering Contractors officials, and they toured the site in appreciation of construction progress, ahead of the project commissioning.
Leengate project engineer Kennedy Bunu said they were working around the clock to ensure they meet their target.
“We are working towards commissioning of these flats which will be done early next month. Everyone is running around and working hard to make sure we meet that target. As you can see, block number 1 is already above 90 percent complete which is quite commendable.
“On block number 2 we are now above 75 percent complete and on block number 3, we are on 60 percent while on block number 4, we are at 50. With the support that we are getting from the Government we should be able to achieve our target of commissioning these flats by August 2, this year,” he said.
Engineer Bunu said currently, about 200 people are employed at the site, adding that the number includes subcontractors.
“We have about 200 people at this site including our sub-contractors. We have also been inclusive on the way we have been recruiting. We are so much gender sensitive and we have also employed a lot of women in all sorts of trades. There are no restrictions to what women can do so we give them a chance to showcase their skills so that the vision of the Government to include everyone in development is achieved,” Engineer Bunu said.
He thanked Government for including them in its programmes, adding that this had led to employment creation and growth of local businesses.
Mr Bunu said they will always work hard and complement what the Government is doing and also prove that local companies can do the same, even better than what international companies do.
Meanwhile, the Government has also started the construction of other blocks of flats for civil servants at Mutawatawa business centre in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe district.
These flats will also go along way in easing accommodation challenges faced by civil servants in the district.
Construction of these flats is in progress.
Besides working around the clock to ensure civil servants get decent accommodation across the Mashonaland East Province, Government is also building modern offices, to ensure that they have decent working environments.
Currently, construction of the Hwedza Government complex, which will house all Government district departments in Hwedza, is complete and awaits commissioning.
Also a civil registration office at Hwedza centre is above 90 percent complete, a development which will see people from that district accessing important documents like passports.
The Government is also building another complex in Mutoko centre, with the offices expected to house all Government departments under one roof.
Online Reporter