Chronicle Editor
Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
THE Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities has started designing model rural homesteads as Government intensifies the drive to provide properly planned housing in line with the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy.
This comes as Government is working on a Human Settlement Act which will criminalise the sale of undeveloped land or construction of houses on land where there are no social amenities.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe said his ministry requires about $48 billion in 2022 to be able to deliver on its mandate.
He said the Ministry anticipates to deliver 14 000 housing units next year.
The country’s housing backlog stands at more than 1,2 million countrywide.
Minister Garwe said his Ministry is working with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and local authorities to facilitate release and access to land to enable relevant development agencies to deliver on their mandates while conforming to the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy and local authorities model buildings by-laws.
He said efforts are being made to embrace the use of technology in the housing sector as it can deliver substantial amounts of houses at half the time and cost without compromising on quality and sustainability.
“It is imperative therefore that some key pieces of legislation such as housing standards and model building by-laws be reformed to conform to new technology. The National Human Settlement Policy instructs us to set aside 40 percent of developable land for flats as we cannot take all land set aside for agriculture.
A well-planned village housing settlement policy which clearly demarcates areas for housing, cropping fields, grazing pastures and others is being development by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development; Ministry of Local Government and ours in National Housing.
This concept will ensure land preservation, protection and ease of embracement of social amenities infrastructure. In that regard local authorities are encouraged to uphold development control measures in their areas of jurisdiction in order to ensure that there is minimization of mushrooming of dysfunctional settlements as is being witnessed in some villages,” said Minister Garwe.
He said under the new law, onsite and offsite social amenities infrastructure must be in place before actual developments take place.
He said the Ministry of Energy and Power Development and Ministry of Information Communication Technologies, Postal and Courier Services have a mandate to ensure onsite and offsite services are in place before actual construction takes place.
“The Ministry has already started drafting the prototype model rural homesteads which will be accessible to the general public throughout the country. There shall be no construction of houses before roads, water, sewer and electricity infrastructure is constructed,” said Minister Garwe.
He said work is underway to prepare bills of quantities for the Human Settlement Act, a law which will ensure people will be criminalized if they are seen building houses or selling land without proper planning.
The Minister said engagements are underway with local authorities for land to build social amenities infrastructure in areas where housing developments are earmarked. — @ncubeleon
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