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Minister Chombo

Municipal Reporter
Government is set to unveil a housing scheme for civil servants and other low-income earners as it moves to clear the national housing backlog that stands at around 1,25 million.
Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo and a team from his ministry, last week went to South Africa to meet officials of a Chinese company that intends to build low-cost houses in Zimbabwe.

It is understood that the Zimbabwean team was impressed by the demonstrations made by the company.
Addressing mourners in Nyazura at the burial of the ministry’s permanent secretary, Mr Killian Mupingo who died on Thursday last week, Minister Chombo said he learnt of the death while he was in South Africa with officials from his ministry.

“We want to thank the Mpingo family for agreeing to delay the burial so that we could attend.
“Myself, the acting permanent secretary Rtd Colonel (Joseph) Mhakayakora, Mr Nelson Mhandu and other officials from the ministry went to South Africa on Thursday afternoon to meet officials from a Chinese company that wants to build houses here (Zimbabwe).

“They had said they were highly skilled in building low income houses for civil servants. We went and toured some of the houses they built in South Africa to enable us to make necessary recommendations upon our return,” he said.

Dr Chombo yesterday, however, refused to shed finer details of the project saying Government would announce details in due course.
The country’s housing backlog rose due to lack of finance for mortgages that saw some unscrupulous people taking advantage by forming bogus co-operatives that swindled desperate home seekers of their hard earned money.

Last year, President Mugabe launched the revised housing policy amid calls to make housing affordable to the majority.
Speaking at the launch, President Mugabe called for low cost initiatives that could accommodate the majority of the people.

The revised housing policy seeks to indigenise the country’s housing delivery sector, while guiding and harmonising all the activities.