‘Houses for all’ bears fruit

Fortious Nhambura Features Writer
It is everyone’s dream to own a house. It is more of an achievement if that home is in Harare or any other urban area as you are spared of paying high rentals every month.  As such people will do anything to get a home in the city but their limited financial muscle has often kept them away from acquiring the residential properties that are usually available through private land developers.

In Harare many people continue to trek to council’s housing department in Remembrance Drive, Mbare, to fill in housing waiting list forms in the hope that one day God will hear their prayers and get a stand in the city.  The hope will fade as days turn into months and months into years without any prospect of getting Harare’s most priced asset.

Years of MDC-T control of the city has choked their hopes. Over the past decade or so of MDC’s control of the urban centres have seen virtually no value addition in residential development championed by the local authorities, despite the many promises they have given to residents.

In fact, the MDC-T led council has presided over the decay of urban infrastructure while it chose to offload its mandate to the private players in the housing sector.

Government has, however, not remained silent but has moved in to provide land for co-operatives to develop housing units for members.
The arrival of a new crop of political leadership in areas like Hatcliffe and Harare South has given Harare residents something to smile at as thousands of housing schemes have been developed. At least there has been some meaningful residential development in these areas something that has complemented the work of private players in arresting the ever ballooning city housing waiting list.

In line with the central Government thrust to increase affordable housing to Zimbabweans, Government recently gazetted Amsterdam Farm in Harare South and offered it for residential development.

Residents of the area have welcomed the move saying it was a positive sign for prospective home owners who lived in fear of being moved from the area. They said the farm would see a number of low-income earners getting land to build houses. The farm was gazetted last month.

Although some of the people had already settled on the farm many people are now frequenting the area in search of the place where they can build their homes. To its credit the city of Harare has already serviced part of the 102,4-hectare farm and provided a site map for stand owners to begin construction of houses.

People have not waited and have moved in with structures already taking shape on the serviced area.
Harare South Zanu-PF Youth chairperson and Zimbabwe Youth Development president Cde Ephraim Fundukwa said they were looking at more than 3 000 low-income earners getting housing stands at the farm.

“We would like to thank President Mugabe for gazetting their farm and ensuring that low-income earners can also get somewhere to build homes. Our target are low-income earners who have no homes elsewhere.

“People will not be contributing money to finance construction of housing units but as soon as one gets a stand he or she can construct a shelter at the stand and then develop at their own pace. This has been done to ensure that there are no allegations of embezzlement of funds and abuse of the stands by co-operative leaders as has been reported in other co-operatives,” he said.

Cde Fundukwa said 1 000 stands had been reserved for the youths so that they cannot only benefit from the largesse of President Mugabe but also get empowered.

“This is the best kind of empowerment that President Mugabe has given us. It is part of the election promises that are being fulfilled. I am sure you are aware that President Mugabe ordered local authorities to scrap rentals arrears recently. This is benefiting everyone including those who voted for the MDC and that is the mark of a good leader.

“President Mugabe always walks his talk. Cancelling arrears was a bold move meant to disabuse people of the burden of the rental arrears accrued when the people were hard pressed by illegal sanctions. Those who had dismissed the pronouncement as electioneering have been left with an egg on the face. That is the beauty of being lead by someone with the people at heart like his Excellency President Mugabe,” said Cde Fundukwa.

According to Harare authorities, the city housing waiting list has ballooned to over 500 000 in the last few months. Unfortunately, there are few meaningful programmes taking place and meant to alleviate provide decent housing to low-income earners.

Desperate Home Seekers Housing Co-operative vice chairman Cde Antony Gono hailed President Mugabe for living up to his promise to work for the people of Zimbabwe. He thanked Cde Mugabe and Zanu-PF for bringing back hope to the people.

“Our detractors were always telling us the structures would be demolished because this was private land. But now that land is State land we now have a good night’s sleep. We would like to thank President Mugabe for clearly articulating and bringing to fruition Zanu-PF policies to empower the citizens of Zimbabwe. People overwhelming voted for President Mugabe and must begin benefiting from the various empowerment programmes including housing.

“The youths contribute a significant number of people who voted for President Mugabe in past election and were reacting to the party programmes. We cannot leave them out of the empowerment programmes like these. In fact, the people rejected the MDC’s politics of poverty and chose President Mugabe’s empowerment programmes,” he added.

A beneficiary of Amsterdam housing programme, Mr Alphios Makunde, said when he moved into the area early this year he was taunted by his relatives as wasting his time as he would be booted out of the area after elections but the same people are now pestering him for information on how they can also get stands in the area.

He said he was grateful that President Mugabe had heard their plea and moved to ensure that their needs were fulfilled.
“They thought the stands would be repossessed after the elections but the gazetting of the farm has left them cursing their decisions not come into the area. They now envy us as we no longer have rent worries come monthend. I wonder why some people remain sceptical of President Mugabe when, in fact, he has delivered on all his promises.

“People are well aware of the education for all programme, the land reform and community ownership schemes and even the withdrawal from the Commonwealth. Here is a man who stands by his word and there is no need to doubt him,” said Mr Makunde, who has constructed a three-roomed cottage on his stand.

Another resident, Ms Sheila Kativhu, said she had been living with a relative in Hopley until she got a stand at the Amsterdam housing plot.
“It is good that Amsterdam has now been designated for housing and that the city council has already demarcated the area into stands. This puts to rest our fears. Some people were taunting us saying that the residential stands were illegal and that the area was not designated for housing. It is encouraging that the city council has even promised to start working at erecting the requisite services,” she added.

Harare Residents Trust director Mr Precious Shumba welcomed the gazetting of land for housing saying it would help in reducing the backlog. He, however, bemoaned that the local authority had reneged on its mandate of providing houses to residents.

“Harare has not really invested in the provision of housing and accommodation to the citizenry but had relinquished this responsibility to housing co-operatives, the majority of whom had little financial resources to put in the requisite infrastructure. Harare residents are doing well in financing their own homes but at least the authorities should be doing something to ensure that the sprouting residential areas have the necessary infrastructure,” Mr Shumba said.

Last year Zimbabwe launched the National Housing Policy expected to guide and harmonise the housing delivery sector in the country.
The National Housing Policy also seeks to prioritise co-operative land needs and protection from being elbowed out by commercial projects, and improve the regulatory framework that govern housing co-operatives participation in the sector so that the overall CBO model is successfully integrated into mainstream housing development and management processes.

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