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Sikhanyisiwe Ncube

THE Second Republic, led by President Mnangagwa, has scored a number of successes through the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, spurred on by the economic blueprint, the National Development Strategy 1.

The Government has embarked on an accelerated housing delivery programme, which is aimed at ensuring access to housing by the greater part of the population.

Established in 2019, the ministry’s mandate is to provide modern and affordable human settlements for Zimbabweans. The fulfilment of this mandate is premised on an inclusive approach in which no-one will be left behind in the nation’s drive towards a prosperous and empowered upper-middle income society by 2030.

Housing delivery is one of the NDS 1 pillars. The key drive is to address the inadequacies of attainment of attendant infrastructure, and provide citizens with access to affordable and quality settlements.

The trajectory towards the attainment of Vision 2030 evolves around providing human settlements, which meet the aspirations of the Zimbabwean people, while addressing affordability and modernisation aspects.

The housing delivery pillar within the NDS 1 is expected to deliver 220 000 housing units by 2025, through collective efforts from stakeholders and all parties involved in human settlements delivery.

The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is working tirelessly towards reducing housing waiting lists and improving services in settlements.

It is seized with the delivery of affordable and quality settlements in urban and rural areas with the hope of having improved access to affordable and quality housing and social amenities.

The milestones within NDS 1 as at May 2023 are tabulated below:

Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy

The Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy, which the President officially launched on September 2, 2021 replaces the National Housing Policy of 2012, and addresses several shortcomings inherent in the preceding policy.

It is guided by, and seeks to frame implementation of the relevant aspects of Agenda 2030 (Sustainable Development Goals), the African Union’s Agenda 2063, Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030, the national Constitution (Amendment No. 20 of 2013), and resilience frameworks. The policy guides all human settlement developments in the country.

Densification of settlements, spatial planning requirements, and the development of off-site and on-site infrastructure before occupation of land, are among other imperatives in the policy. And, they ought to be upheld in housing development projects.

It is the cornerstone of the housing delivery sector. It will help create a beneficial environment that will create a greater leverage for the ministry, and other stakeholders to interact with regional and international bodies that are eager to invest in human settlement in the country.

It is key to note that most developments throughout the country are now adhering to the tenets of the policy as evidenced by the provision of basic infrastructure before occupation.

Demand for housing

The demand for housing, which is a moving target, has indeed risen to alarming rates, and is currently estimated at 1,5 million housing units. It is, therefore, the ministry’s clarion call to all players in the human settlements sector to put heads together in finding solutions that address the housing challenge, as well as the attendant social amenities.

Efforts to address the housing challenge

In efforts to address the housing challenge, the ministry is spearheading implementation of the National Housing Delivery Programme (NHDP), a massive programme aimed at delivering 220 000 housing units by 2025, and over 470 000 in the long term.

The programme aims at creating inclusive settlements that meet the needs and aspirations of Zimbabweans, while utilising locally available resources. The development agenda is leaving no one behind, given that the ministry is championing housing programmes for the entire citizenry of Zimbabwe. In a bid to accelerate the provision of housing, the Government has adopted several strategies to ensure access to housing by the majority of citizens.

Ways to address the housing backlog, enhance human settlements delivery

Regularisation/sanitisation of informal and dysfunctional settlements

The regularisation/sanitisation of informal and dysfunctional settlements is now gathering momentum across the breadth and length of the country. Efforts meant to bring sanity in the said settlements are underway targeting Caledonia in Goromonzi, Harare South, Hatcliffe North, and Gimboki South in Mutare as well as Cowdray Park in Bulawayo.

Other areas requiring such initiative will be considered as the programme gathers traction. The ministry is actively engaging the private sector and banks, through tendering, for feasibility studies, design, funding and construction of infrastructure in the informal settlements. The process is now at an advanced stage.

Revitalisation of the derelict structures is aimed at making the dwellings more habitable, attractive and modern. In instances where the structures are no longer sound, construction of new apartments shall be done. Urban regeneration is targeting Mbare residential suburb in Harare, Sakubva in Mutare and Makokoba in Bulawayo.

In terms of implementation Sakubva Urban regeneration is most advanced, and has since been accorded national project status, entailing duty free importation of capital equipment, materials and/or goods, among other attendant concessions.

In these areas, construction of social amenities infrastructure such as recreational facilities, clinics, among other facilities shall also be prioritised.

 Revitalisation programmes for rural areas

Government has also initiated revitalisation programmes for rural settlements that are intended to bridge the gap between the rural and urban areas. The ministry is currently developing proto-type housing designs for use in the rural areas and more designs are being developed to widen selection.

In the quest to foster proper waste management in Zimbabwe’s rural and peri- urban settlements, the Rural Waste Management Programme is being championed targeting identified schools, clinics and chiefs homesteads. Under the programme, the ministry is targeting installation of at least 3 000 flushable toilets in rural areas.

The ministry has also initiated revitalisation programmes for rural settlements that are intended to bridge the gap between rural and urban areas. The ministry is currently developing innovative proto-type rural homesteads designs.

The ministry is working on developing these proto-type rural house model designs taking cognisance of the need to create access to public goods and services, while promoting equitable and sustainable transformation.

The key features of the rural house model include, subsistence farming, craft work, use of local building materials, modern flushable rural waste management technology as well as use of renewable energy. The design should be resilient.

As a first of its kind, the ministry is rolling out the construction of flats in rural areas targeted at accommodating civil servants. A pilot project has kick-started in Uzumba Maramba Pfungwe in Mashonaland East Province, where four blocks of flats are under construction.

  Alternative building technology

In line with the NDS 1 targets, the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities has embarked on an accelerated housing delivery programme premised on the use of alternative building technology to construct high rise buildings.

The alternative building technology will aid in accelerated housing delivery, while ensuring that climate resilient houses are built with maximum utilisation of local building materials. The ministry is targeting delivering 220 000 housing units by 2025 through the adoption of these alternative building technologies for key projects in all the country’s 10 provinces.

Key to note is a recent development, which has seen the signing of an MOU on cooperation with Rwanda in the field of provision of sustainable, affordable, functional, low to medium cost housing and new building technologies which will see the implementation of the same in the near future.

Smart Cities

The Government is also facilitating the establishment of smart cities. The smart city concept is premised on the idea that cities should be self-contained. Smart cities ensure that individuals live, play and work in the same environment.

The areas earmarked for this development include Melfort, Chirundu and Figtree. Recently, the Cabinet approved the development of Melfort Smart City in Goromonzi District, Mashonaland East. This development will go a long way in driving economic growth not only in the area, but across the country as well.

Enhanced Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Programme Government

The Government has embarked on the Enhanced Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management Programme to provide relief to distressed households in dysfunctional, illegal and irregular settlements, including those settled on wetlands and flood-prone areas.

The programme is also targeting at constructing and rehabilitating the country’s road infrastructure following years of non-maintenance and neglect by local authorities, especially those in urban areas.

The construction of four blocks of flats at Dzivarasekwa, which are being constructed to house relocated households, stands midway to completion. At the Senga Messengers’ Camp in Gweru, four blocks of flats are currently under construction by a private contractor, and an additional four blocks are being constructed at the site by the Government.

Four blocks of flats are also under construction in Marondera, while in Lupane the contractor has since moved to site to commence operations for the construction of residential flats at the Government Offices’ site.

Meanwhile, the ministry is addressing the concerns of households on planned settlements without adequate basic services. Initial focus in this regard is on sixteen Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle settlements identified countrywide for immediate infrastructural development. To that end, the official hand-over of the Lupane Local Board Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle site to the contractor was done by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities on May 2, 2022.

Engagement drive

The 41st Shelter Afrique Annual General Meeting and Symposium held at Elephant Hills Hotel, Victoria Falls, from July 25 to 29, 2022, saw Zimbabwe assuming Chairmanship of the Bureau.

It is key to point out that Shelter Afrique has been instrumental in providing housing delivery support throughout the years. Zimbabwe is an active shareholder, from the Class A category, and to spice it up, we are a paid up Member State with no arrears.

This healthy setup enabled us to be elected as the Chairman of the Shelter Afrique Bureau at the 41st annual general meeting. It also opened opportunities to pilot a new product launched at the AGM known as Sovereign Loan Facility, which was extended to five countries, including Zimbabwe.

Fruitful discussions on the establishment of a regional office in Harare are underway to cover the SADC region. Shelter Afrique has been an all-weather ally to Zimbabwe over the years at a time the country is reeling from the adverse effects of economic sanctions imposed more than two decades ago.

The fact that they have been able to extend lines of credit in excess of US$63 million for housing delivery buttresses the confidence that the bank has in Zimbabwe.

Our local financial institutions have been able to access money and channelled it to housing delivery. Despite the perceived country risk from other international institutions, Zimbabwe stands on a strong pedestal, culminating from the fact that all the country’s institutions that have accessed funding from Shelter Afrique have never defaulted. They religiously, and diligently honoured their obligations.

Hence, Shelter Afrique has opened its doors wide open for return clients and new applicants. In the meantime, while we are working on the modalities to establish a fully-fledged office here in Harare, local private players with bankable housing projects can engage the ministry as a gateway to Shelter Afrique lines of credit. The ministry stands ready to facilitate their applications and to support them as and when necessary.