Housing Policy launched

He announced the new policy thrust while officially launching the revised National Housing Policy in Harare yesterday at a ceremony attended by Deputy Prime Minister Arthur Mutambara; Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister Ignatius Chombo and Science and Technology Minister Professor Heneri Dzinotyiwei.

Other senior Government officials, members of housing co-operatives, local authorities and housing developers attended the meeting, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and Housing and Social Amenities Minister Giles Mutsekwa, who were on the official programme, did not attend.

The new settlements would be in the mould of Harare’s satellite modern town in Mt Hampden whose plans are already underway.
“Government is considering self-contained human settlements at the periphery of major urban centres as a means of decongesting cities,” said the President.

“Ideally, these are settlements with comprehensive land use plans that incorporate housing, commercial and industrial zones and the attendant social amenities.”
President Mugabe commended the formulation of the revised National Housing Policy, describing it as an important milestone in the history of housing development.

The policy document is a reference point which guides and harmonises the housing delivery sector.
President Mugabe said the policy should indigenise the housing delivery sector.

“The policy should address our felt needs within the context of our cultural values and norms, meet housing standards which at the same time address affordability levels, and meet our environmental and climatic conditions.”

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The President implored local authorities to desist from emphasising on housing standards beyond the reach of the majority.
“Accordingly, our housing designs should lean more towards fulfilling needs rather than cost.”

President Mugabe said past and present experiences as well as the merits and demerits of old policies should guide the crafting and revision of national policies.
He said he was happy that the revised housing policy borrowed from the once popular “Start Paying for Your House Scheme”, the building brigades, and the wet core strategies of housing delivery.

The President said Zimbabwe should move with the global trend where national governments are being encouraged to develop policies that address issues of climate change and the use of new technologies that reduce costs and avert environmental pollution.

“The challenges of rapid urbanisation in the developing world require that we are receptive to new building technologies,” he said. “Those of you involved in spatial planning should now focus on densification to save on land and infrastructure costs.”

President Mugabe expressed displeasure with new housing schemes in most urban centres that are developing without basic social amenities such as schools and clinics.
He commended diamond mining companies operating in Marange for heeding Government policy to provide alternative accommodation for villagers who were moved from the mining area.

The President urged the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities to consider revisiting the pre-independence employer housing levies by local authorities to compel employers to contribute to housing development for their employees.

He appealed to local authorities to be innovative if they are to sustain their service delivery mandate.
President Mugabe said because it has been proved that people could build houses on their own if adequately facilitated, local authorities should prioritise construction of off-site services to enable the people to build.

Minister Chombo said Government would use housing development to create employment, eliminate gender disparities and social inequality.
He said President Mugabe should be commended for defeating laws of racial segregation that barred blacks from residing in affluent suburbs like Borrowdale and for allowing women to own title deeds to property.

Minister Chombo said the President availed land for urban expansion under the land reform programme as well as instituting laws that allowed sitting tenants to buy council houses under the home ownership scheme.

Speaking at the launch, DPM Mutambara urged the nation to work together for the success of the National Housing Policy.
He said there was a need to avail resources to ensure that the policy worked.

Some of the major highlights of the revised National Housing Policy include a clause that bars the eviction of people from informal settlements without securing an alternative for them, promotion of decent rural housing and urban renewal programmes.

The policy also looks at the various housing finance mechanisms and borrows from global best practices.