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Sukulwenkosi Dube-Matutu, Bulawayo Bureau
Action is being taken by the Government to hasten the completion of civil servants’ houses in Beitbridge and improve sewer and water infrastructure at Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle houses in Gwanda and Lupane towns.
These initiatives seek to provide civil servants with affordable and safe accommodation in line with Vision 2030 targets.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Soda Zhemu conducted a inspection of both projects last Thursday and reaffirmed the Government’s commitment to the completion of the projects.
The Beitbridge housing project began in 2004 but stalled due to funding limitations. It was later resumed in July 2018, and now, under the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, it is a high-priority project under the Vision 2030 targets. The project will provide garden flats and duplexes to 64 families.
The Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle project in Gwanda comprises 671 houses and is one of five flagship initiatives central to enhancing access to decent accommodation.
Minister Zhemu expressed optimism about the projects’ progress, stating that the inspection aimed to assess the level of completion and identify areas where work needed to be hastened.
“As a ministry we took over the Beitbridge Redevelopment Housing project in 2022 when it was at around 36 percent completion and to date it has progressed to around 71 percent,” said Minister Zhemu.
“This project is a priority given the thrust of the Second Republic on the provision of accommodation to citizens, especially the civil servants. This project is aimed at providing one of the non-monetary benefits that are supposed to be given to civil servants.
“After touring the project site, there are things I have observed that are stalling the project such as delays in the release of funds. I now have an appreciation of the project and from here we will sit down to see how best to expedite it. Government aims to provide affordable accommodation to its staff.”
Minister Zhemu said the Second Republic’s drive is to ensure that projects are completed timeously to serve their intended purpose.
He said the Government’s priority was for people to stay in habitable settlements, which included ensuring that Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle areas across the country are serviced to provide access to basic services such as water and sewer connections.
“Such settlements exist around the country where people were rushed and allocated stands but it’s now time for those stands to be regularised. To us they are dysfunctional in the sense that there are no proper roads, sewer systems or proper sanitation.
“This is what we are seized with as Government following a policy position, which was made to inherit all those projects through the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities. We want to ensure that the settlements are habitable and all services are provided.”
The Government was working closely with local authorities to ensure the development of Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle houses across the country and that councils had to urgently rope in service providers for road works, sewer and water reticulation and street lighting with central Government providing resources.
“Government wants to see settlements that are not habitable being transformed into habitable settlements.
“We won’t be able to do this overnight and that’s why we are doing this work stage by stage,” said Minister Zhemu.
Online Reporter