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Thupeyo Muleya, Sunday News Reporter
THE Government is set to complete the construction of 16 garden flats in Beitbridge that are expected to accommodate 64 families and ease long-standing accommodation challenges for civil servants in the border town.
The project that is under the Beitbridge Redevelopment Programme is scheduled to be completed within the next three months.
The development, which began in 2006 but stalled for years due to funding constraints, was revived under the Second Republic as part of broader efforts to improve living conditions for Government workers and enhance service delivery at the country’s busiest port of entry.
Minister of State for Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Albert Nguluvhe, said finalisation of the project would go a long way in addressing perennial accommodation shortages that have hampered the deployment of key staff to Beitbridge.
The Minister revealed the development during a recent visit to the border town, where he also toured Beitbridge District Hospital and held meetings with local stakeholders.
Several issues were raised, chief among them accommodation challenges, which continue to affect the deployment of critical personnel, especially in the health sector.
The housing programme comprises 54 F14 houses, which have already been completed, commissioned and occupied, as well as 16 duplex flats under construction. Once complete, the duplex flats will house 64 households.
“We are aware of the accommodation challenges affecting some Government departments in this town.
“We have mobilised resources to complete the construction of the 16 duplex flats, which are at various stages of development,” said Minister Nguluvhe.
“We are confident that within the next three months, the project will be complete, ahead of the national independence celebrations set for Matobo District.”
The minister said improved access to accommodation would help resolve staff deployment bottlenecks and improve service delivery to both ordinary travellers and commercial transporters passing through the border.
Beitbridge District Hospital, which the Minister also visited, serves not only the local community but a large transit population, including travellers passing through the border post and patients from neighbouring districts such as Chiredzi, Mwenezi, Mberengwa and parts of Gwanda.
Minister Nguluvhe noted that staffing shortages at the hospital remain a concern and appealed to the community and corporate sector to support the institution.
“The responsibility to provide quality healthcare lies with all of us. I therefore urge corporates to support Beitbridge District Hospital as part of their corporate social responsibility programmes,” he said.
As part of wider efforts to address accommodation shortages, the Government has also completed a staff village comprising 220 houses for civil servants deployed to the Beitbridge Border Post, a development that has significantly improved operational efficiency.
The staff village, built about seven kilometres east of the border town, was developed by the Zimborders Consortium in partnership with the Government under a 17-and-a-half-year public-private partnership.
In previous years, inefficiencies at the border were largely attributed to inadequate accommodation, forcing key departments to operate with skeletal staff.
However, the situation improved late last year when the houses were allocated to Government workers, allowing departments to deploy full staff complements.
The village includes 20 Type A three-bedroom detached houses for heads of departments, 20 semi-detached three-bedroom Type B houses and 180 Type C two-bedroom high-rise units for junior staff.
The gated complex is serviced by an independent sewer system with a bio-digester and includes social amenities such as a clubhouse, swimming pool, braai area and children’s play areas, aligning with the social infrastructure component of the Beitbridge Redevelopment Programme.
Most civil servants stationed at the border — including officials from the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority (Zimra), Department of Immigration, Ministry of Health and Child Care and security agencies — are deployed on rotational assignments and are not permanent residents of the town, making accommodation a critical factor in ensuring efficient operations.
Online Reporter