adminregistered social landlords.
The housing policy supports the Government drive to acquire housing land around urban centres, but encourages that compensation should be paid to the previous owners of the land and that there should be transparent administration of the land and removal of bottlenecks in land surveys and deeds registration.
The policy has also identified housing finance as one of the major bottlenecks stopping effective housing delivery, a development that has seen Government employing new and innovative measures to address the problem.
According to the policy document, Government will facilitate savings by financial institutions involved in housing delivery, foster exploration of sustainable and broad-based avenues for formal housing finance to complement mortgages and housing micro finance.
The policy would facilitate an audit of all urban land assets and estimate demand in line with urban growth trends and will consolidate policy improvements like parallel and incremental development.
Secretary for National Housing and Social Amenities Mr David Munyoro said his ministry was now crafting the implementation strategy for the policy.
The strategy will spell out how the Government intends to achieve each and every clause in the housing policy.
According to the policy document, “Zimbabwe’s housing problems reflect insufficient funding due to the liquidity problems.
“Savings-lending cycles and public sector capital funding streams have been disrupted, while local and international sources of finance are curtailed”.
Acknowledging Government’s limited capacity to finance housing development — the policy looks at options of raising funds through commercial banks, the National Social Security Authority, pension and provident funds.
The Government will also explore climate change financing options for housing development and incentives to encourage wider participation in housing development would be put in place.
The policy also empowers housing institutions to approach international development institutions involved in housing finance for recapitalisation.
These and other finance solutions come following the realisation that housing, especially for urban centres, does not match demand hence the mushrooming of informal settlements and out-buildings.
The key principle guiding the policy include a declaration that housing is a basic and human right.
Housing delivery has been identified as the key driver to economic development through employment creation in supply industries and the direct employment of construction workers.
The policy promotes people-centred initiatives to housing development with the State expected to support the initiatives, promotes housing partnerships, strengthens the role of local authorities and encourages increased private sector participation in housing.
The policy also looks at enhancing flexibility and choice during implementation of housing initiatives within the framework of inclusive cities.
Online Reporter