admin
Harare Bureau
President Mugabe has said the Government will develop self-contained human settlements with housing, commercial and industrial facilities at the periphery of major urban centres as a means of decongesting cities. He announced the new policy thrust when he officially launched the revised National Housing Policy in Harare on Monday.
Cabinet Ministers, Government officials, members of housing cooperatives, councils and housing developers attended the meeting, while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai and the Minister of Housing and Social Amenities Giles Mutsekwa who were on the 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 under way. “Government is considering self-contained human settlements at the periphery of major urban centres as a means of decongesting cities,” said President Mugabe.
“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,” he said.
The President implored local authorities to desist from emphasising on housing standards that are beyond the reach of the majority.
“Accordingly, our housing designs should lean more towards fulfilling needs rather than cost,” he said.
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.
President Mugabe said Zimbabwe should move alongside 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 were 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.
Online Reporter