Online Reporter
Sikhulekelani Moyo
Zimpapers Business Hub
THE Urban Councils Act must be urgently amended to allow for high-rise buildings, as the current two-storey legal limit may leave future generations without land for housing, a Government senior official has said.
Speaker of the National Assembly Advocate Jacob Mudenda, made the call to preserve scarce land.
Speaking on the sidelines of a two-day capacity building workshop on National Budget Analysis, Adv Mudenda said the existing legal provisions no longer suited Zimbabwe’s rapid urbanisation and population growth.
“The current Urban Councils Act allows for two-storey buildings only, which means that if we follow that Act to its letter and spirit, eventually, in the next 50 years, we may not have sufficient land to build houses,” he said.
“It is critical and very urgent that the Urban Councils Act be amended to allow urban councils and rural district growth points to build aquas, skyscrapers.
And in so doing, they will be serving land for posterity.
“If we do not do that, we use all the land now; 50 years down the line, and the younger people may not find any land to use for the construction of their shelter.”
Adv Mudenda said vertical development would help conserve land and ensure sustainable urban expansion, particularly in cities and growth points where demand for residential and commercial space continues to rise.
Adv Mudenda also urged Government and local authorities to reconsider road construction methods, noting that several countries have shifted from asphalt to brick paving.
“The other area is the construction industry.
“A number of countries, if not several countries, have moved away from the use of asphalt to construct roads. They use bricks. It’s cheaper, more durable,” he said.
