Online Reporter
Debra Matabvu
THE Government is reviewing colonial-era building regulations in a major policy shift to cut construction costs, speed up housing development and make it easier to use modern technologies.
This shift supports the national goal of delivering one million housing units by 2030.
The review of the 1977 Model Building By-Laws, which have shaped building standards in local authorities for decades, is expected to pave the way for greater use of alternative building technologies such as prefabricated materials and other modern construction methods.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Professor Paul Mavima said high-level committees had already been set up to identify gaps in the regulations, with stakeholder consultations expected to begin this month.
“Current by-laws have a general provision for alternative building technology through instituting variations,” Prof Mavima said.
“However, the review of the 1977 Model Building By-Laws will expedite the implementation of alternative technology and address the need to construct settlements using climate-resilient materials and methods.”
The 1977 Model Building By-Laws contain detailed requirements governing virtually every stage of construction, from approval of building plans and structural requirements to room dimensions, ventilation, natural lighting, drainage, sewerage and fire safety.
The regulations require building and sewerage work to be approved by the relevant local authority and construction to conform to approved plans. They also prescribe minimum standards for habitable rooms.
Among other requirements, a habitable room generally requires a minimum clear height of 2,4 metres, a floor area of at least seven square metres and a minimum horizontal dimension of 2,1 metres, subject to specified exceptions.
The regulations prescribe minimum natural-light requirements, including daylight openings equivalent to at least 10 percent of the floor area for ordinary habitable rooms.
The authorities believe that while such standards remain important for safety and public health, the regulatory framework needs to be updated to reflect modern construction methods, changing settlement patterns and the country’s urgent housing requirements.
Prof Mavima said committees working on the review had already identified areas requiring reform.
“To date committees have been established and each thematic area has already identified gaps that need review,” he said.
“Stakeholder consultation is targeted for August on identified gaps, with the draft review document set to be available in the coming two to three months.”
The review is also outlined in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2), which calls for a relook of the 1977 Model Building By-Laws, alongside other housing and construction legislation.
The strategy seeks to bring the regulatory framework in line with modern construction technologies, environmental sustainability and contemporary urban-planning principles.
However, the Government is not proposing to abandon basic planning and construction standards in the drive to increase housing output.
Prof Mavima said developers would still be required to provide essential infrastructure such as roads, water, sewerage system, stormwater drainage and electricity before housing projects could be approved for occupation or handed over to beneficiaries.
“Developers are required to comply with approved planning standards and provide essential onsite infrastructure, including roads, water supply, sewerage system, stormwater drainage and electricity connections, before developments can be approved for occupation or handed over to beneficiaries,” he said.
Compliance would be enforced through inspections, development permit conditions and the withholding of completion certificates or occupation permits where servicing requirements had not been met.
Informal settlements
The Government is also strengthening measures against the emergence of new informal settlements. At the same time, it is working with local authorities to regularise existing settlements in accordance with approved planning frameworks.
The regulatory reforms form part of a broader strategy to mobilise more capital into housing as the authorities seek to deliver an average of 200 000 housing units a year to meet the one-million-unit target by 2030.
Prof Mavima said 45 percent of the 2026 annual target had been achieved during the first half of the year, with the remaining 55 percent expected to be delivered by December.
Overall, he said, the country had achieved 9,1048 percent of the one-million-unit target.
The ministry is increasingly looking beyond direct Government construction, with pension funds, commercial banks, building societies, private developers and international financiers being brought into the housing delivery programme.
Institutional investors are already involved in some housing and accommodation projects.
The National Social Security Authority (NSSA) and Old Mutual, for example, have invested in mixed-use developments incorporating residential and commercial components, while the Mining Industry Pension Fund and the Public Service Pension Fund have invested in student accommodation.
The Government is working on the revival of the National Housing Fund (NHF) and Housing Guarantee Fund to encourage banks and building societies to provide longer-term housing finance.
Prof Mavima said the NHF was being structured to provide a risk-sharing mechanism. This would reduce the risks faced by lenders financing civil servants.
“The National Housing Fund is being structured to support housing projects for civil servants by providing risk-sharing mechanisms that de-risk home loans issued by commercial banks and building societies,” he said.
The Government has consulted banks and building societies on the proposed fund, with the feedback being used to develop its operational framework.
The initiative is now at the preliminary engagement stage with Treasury.
At the same time, the ministry is seeking institutional investors to develop accommodation for teachers, health workers, security personnel and other public servants in rural and peri-urban areas.
Zimbabwe is also seeking to tap more international housing finance through Shelter Afrique.
Prof Mavima said more than US$156 million had been accessed through Shelter Afrique between 2012 and 2026, with about US$30 million at the appraisal stage.
The country accessed close to US$15 million from the institution this year, he said.
The Government is also promoting the redevelopment and densification of existing urban areas to create additional housing without continuously expanding cities outwards.
In older urban settlements such as Mbare, Makokoba and Sakubva, the authorities are pursuing urban renewal programmes.
Prof Mavima said designs for the Mbare urban renewal family units had been completed, with the Government now looking for partners to implement the long-term redevelopment plans.
