Trust Freddy
Herald Correspondent
GOVERNMENT is on track to achieve its national target of delivering 200 000 housing units by the end of this year, having recorded 95 000 units in the first half of 2026, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister, Professor Paul Mavima, has confirmed.
In an interview on Tuesday, Prof Mavima expressed strong confidence that second-half momentum will fulfil the full-year benchmark, providing a solid foundation for the ambitious National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2) target of one million housing units.
The ministry credited private sector participation for driving the bulk of housing developments across the country under Government policy supervision and State land allocations.
“On the issue of the target for this year, we are on course to reach the 200 000 that we have to reach this year,” Prof Mavima said. “By the first half of 2026, we had achieved 95 000, which is very close to half of what we want to achieve by the end of the year. So I am very confident that the Ministry will reach that target.”
Prof Mavima acknowledged the private sector’s role in accelerating delivery using State land allocated through his Ministry and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
“A lot of the delivery is now being done by the private sector, under the policy guidance of the Ministry, but also in some cases with land that has been allocated from Government, from this Ministry, but sometimes directly from the Ministry that controls State land, which is the Minister of Local Government and Public Works. So Government has played its part in providing that land,” he added.
However, the minister fired a warning shot at land developers who buy State land at affordable intrinsic rates only to fleece home-seekers by charging exorbitant prices. Prof Mavima described land profiteering as unacceptable and contrary to the Second Republic’s mandate of delivering accessible, low-cost shelter under Vision 2030.
“Related to that is the issue that you have mentioned, where basically we sell land or give land to the private sector,” he said. “They pay for the intrinsic value of the land, which is fairly affordable, but sometimes you encounter unscrupulous developers who then charge an arm and a leg for the land. This is a matter that is very concerning to the ministry. The Ministry is putting on notice all the developers who take advantage of the land that they have been given by Government and overcharge the beneficiaries.”
Prof Mavima stressed that developers found overcharging home-seekers risk immediate cancellation of their land allocation agreements with the State.
“We will not hesitate to cancel the agreements that we may have done or entered into with the private sector if they behave in such a manner. We are calling for decent, affordable housing. It cannot be affordable if the land is overcharged,” he said.
The delivery recorded in 2026 anchors the housing targets set out under NDS2, under which the Government has set an overall target to deliver one million housing units nationwide to address the national deficit.
With the 2020 National Human Settlements Policy placing the national housing backlog at approximately two million units, the Government is driving a multi-sectoral strategy anchored on public-private partnerships (PPPs), individual home builders, and sustainable mortgage financing models.
