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The development of Melfort, located along the Harare-Mutare highway, from a farming township into an ultramodern town is now actively underway.
Government plans to make Melfort a development corridor that is in line with aspirations to modernise and transform the country into a relatively prosperous society by 2030.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities has since facilitated the regularisation of the Diamond Park Housing project as part of the ongoing national housing regularisation programme.
Under the Melfort housing programme, investors have been roped in to construct modern infrastructure such as shopping malls and other amenities.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe told The Sunday Mail that Government is now working with investors to develop the area into a mini-city.
“The housing regularisation programme is progressing smoothly in Melfort and as we go forward, the plan is to transform it to become a mini-city,” he said.
“We don’t want to have informal settlements mixed with informal settlements. We want to have a seamless housing and infrastructure programme.
“We identified Melfort because it is strategically positioned and it is a development corridor. We are also looking at Melfort as part of a desire to have a development corridor from Harare up to Marondera. That whole corridor must see modern architecture, modern infrastructure, modern shopping malls, modern hospitals and modern schools.”
National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and the National Building Society (NBS) are some of the partners involved in the project.
“We are already working with NSSA, NBS and the ZESA Pension Fund. The pension fund is interested in the development of modern infrastructure, hospitals, schools and bulk water services. NSSA is interested in the construction of low- and medium-density suburbs as well as going vertical. NBS is coming with mortgage facilities for beneficiaries,” he said.
Melfort was designated as a developmental hub in 1953.
Diamond Park Housing project director Mr Roger Pote said they were using Government guidelines to develop the area.
“Our objective is to make Diamond Park a gated community with structured houses and infrastructure, hence our adherence to guidelines from the Ministry of Housing and Social Amenities.
“Our mission is to contribute to the vision by His Excellency, the President, to promote urban to rural migration by developing rural areas to match the standards of urban centres. Everything is on course for Melfort to become a modernised area.
“The plan has always been futuristic. We are providing affordable housing because the goal is to give shelter and hope to fellow Zimbabweans in line with Vision 2030,” he said.
Online Reporter