adminLovemore Kadzura Rusape Correspondent
RURAL teachers have partnered with rural district councils in Manicaland to provide low-cost residential stands in a bid to address housing and accommodation challenges facing them.
The residential stands which are dotted around district councils’ growth points and business centres will come as huge relief to teachers and other civil servants who work in rural areas, but have no decent housing facilities.
The deal which was initiated by Zimbabwe Rural Teachers’ Union will result in thousands of civil servants accessing stands at growth points and business centres close to their workplaces.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers’ Union has so far signed an agreement to purchase thousands of stands for its members with Makoni Rural District Council. The deal will see rapid growth of centres like Zambara, Mayo, Nyamazura, Chinyudze, Chinhenga, Dewedzo, Residential stands in these centres are as low as $1 300 and the payment period is spread over five years.
Zimbabwe Rural Teachers’ Union president, Mr Martin Chaburumunda, said they came up with the idea after realising the challenges their members were facing in having decent accommodation near their work stations.
He also added that the deal was not only limited to Makoni Rural District Council as they were targeting all rural councils for partnerships. “We came up with this initiative so that we address accommodation challenges facing our members in particular and rural workers in general.” “There is a serious shortage of houses in rural schools and this has resulted in rural workers being disgruntled and demoralised.
“We have partnered with rural councils to avail to us idle land in rural business centres and growth points. There is buy-in for our proposal from all stakeholders and rural district councils stand to benefit from the massive construction of houses and commercial buildings,” said Mr Chaburumunda.
He added: “We have agreed on reasonable prices and flexible payment period of up to five years which is very good. This will allow our members to build the houses while we are paying for the stands.
“We do not want a situation whereby teachers use their pension money to buy residential stands or houses because during their working time stands in towns were exorbitantly over priced for them.”
Makoni Rural District council chief executive officer, Mr Edward Pise who is also the national chairman of Rural District Councils CEOs’ Forum, confirmed the deal, saying it would benefit all stakeholders.
“Yes, it is true, we have partnered with Zimbabwe Rural Teachers Union to provide residential stands in our growth points and business centres. We have vast land for housing provision so when they approached us we did not have any qualms with them.
“This will transform our growth points because teachers are the majority in the civil service. We will not close doors to others who want these affordable stands. This will change the face of our service centres because civil servants have disposable incomes,” said Mr Pise.
He said the move would help local authorities to meet their housing targets and the Zim-Asset economic blueprint. “As rural councils this will help us to meet or surpass our housing targets under Zim-Asset. In Makoni we have a target of 2 500 residential stands,” said Mr Pise.
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