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“MY stand was repossessed by a greedy land developer who resold it to someone else after I had failed to pay up my monthly installments. I did not have a stable source of income after the closure of the company I used to work for. It was difficult for me to get $80 every month to pay as instalments for my stand. As a self-employed man, it is difficult for me to access a loan from the bank to buy another housing stand,” lamented Mr Charles Mangena (37), a tenant in Njube high density suburb in Bulawayo.
It is everyone’s dream to have a house of his or her own. However, many of them are never realised because of many reasons, among them unavailability of residential stands and high prices that make it impossible for low income earners to buy.
In recent years, the majority of the residential properties have tended to be available through private land developers, as local authorities lack money to develop them. The private developers often charge high prices for their stands and houses as their objectives are obviously commercial as opposed to social objectives councils and government generally have. This has left the majority of low-income earners homeless.
For the few who could afford them, there is always the risk of being swindled by developers, some of whom have been accused of selling, for example, a stand to more than one person.
Since the onset of the sanctions-induced economic sanctions 13 years ago, basically all of the co untry’s towns and cities have failed to deliver decent housing, with the national housing backlog standing at 1,25 million.
Bulawayo City Council, with a housing waiting list running into tens of thousands, is also battling to provide affordable residential stands and houses for residents.
Mr Zoreni Sibanda (35), a self-employed man who lives in Mpopoma in Bulawayo said Government and the local authority should provide affordable housing schemes for low-income earners.
“Government and local authorities should provide the majority of home seekers with affordable housing schemes, which ensure that even the self-employed and low-income earners can afford to buy and build their own houses. We cannot afford to pay huge amounts demanded by private land developers,” said Mr Sibanda.
Mr Thabani Makhosi (30) a welder in Njube said building societies must make arrangements with the Government and the city council to provide loans without stringent collateral security requirements for the low-income earners.
“Some of us do not have stable sources of income. We need Government and the city council to enter into agreements with banks and building societies to avail the pro-poor housing schemes and policies like mortgages and housing funds to beneficiaries of housing stands without harsh collateral security,” said Mr Makhosi.
Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association programmes officer, Mr Emmanuel Ndlovu urged the local authority to set up pro-poor housing schemes which cater for even vendors and some other informal businesspeople.
“Most residents in the city are now surviving through informal businesses since the start of the de-industrialisation in the city. Vendors and other informal businesspeople should be provided with affordable housing schemes as a right and to improve their livelihoods,” said Mr Ndlovu.
Bulawayo City Council has pledged to take provision of affordable housing as one of its priorities in its 2014 budget.
The Government has worked hard to provide housing stands through a number of initiatives such as Operation Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai and schemes focused on civil servants.
In Bulawayo Operation Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai is being done on the western section of Cowdray Park high density suburb. A huge suburb has emerged in that part of the city, accommodating tens of thousands.
Recently, Local Government, Rural and Urban Development Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo ordered all 92 local authorities nationwide to surrender back houses and housing stands they had repossessed from aspiring homeowners who had failed to settle payments at the height of the sanctions –induced economic crisis.
He further instructed councils to extend payment periods and development moratoriums by up to 20 years to give hard –pressed people time to settle their housing stands dues.
Zanu-PF said in its manifesto that it would ensure that 250 000 low income housing units are built between now and 2018 as a way to cut the national housing backlog.
“Zimbabwe faces serious homelessness characterised by a very high national housing backlog which stands at 1 25 million,” the manifesto says.
“This is a consequence of the combined effects of discriminatory urban settlement policies of the pre-independence era, the massive rural-urban migration of the post-independence years – which is on the increase as large numbers of school leavers and college graduates annually seek employment opportunities – and the deterioration of both physical and social infrastructure and economic decline that has been caused by the illegal sanctions.
Online Reporter