News / National
Govt moots Command Housing
23 Mar 2018 at 06:09hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT is working on a Command Housing project to expand housing facilities in old townships and areas to ease congestion.
The idea mooted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is aimed at elevating families from bad conditions and has already been adopted by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing as part of its 100 day strategies.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday during a question and answer session, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo said the Government was aware of the squalid living conditions in some suburbs.
"There are a lot of our people who are living under extreme conditions of pressure from lack of adequate accommodation, crowded accommodation and dilapidated accommodation, some of it dating way back to the early days of colonialism.
Government is very aware of this situation and we are saying, as we plan ahead, the President has said, let us have a Command Housing programme which does not only looks at housing expansion in new areas but looking at old townships or old areas where our people lived and see how we can uplift that housing pressure," said Min Moyo.
He said plans for the launch of a housing programme that does not only focus on new houses were at an advanced stage.
"We are advanced in planning for the launch of a housing programme that will take care of not only the new houses but, also concentrating on building flats so that we do not continue to gobble arable land.
Also at the same time, looking at those old areas and see whether we can go and either put flats so that we can build better and more accommodation in areas that are restricted without too much expansion," Min Moyo told Parliament.
He said the plan will also will lessen pressure on sewerage and on water supply because they will not be expanding.
"The way we were now building our accommodation was just expanding too far, the local authorities cannot afford to pay for the services. So, I want to thank the honourable member for raising this issue which Government is looking at very seriously in order to alleviate the problems that our people are facing," said Min Moyo.
"I cannot give a timetable as to exactly when we will be alleviating all these. But, let us not also forget that every city, Kadoma included, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare, where you have had all these old accommodation, some of which we call misana yenzou, we need to pay attention to that."
He said they were engaging local authorities on the programme so that they do not forget about all these areas where dilapidation has taken place.
The idea mooted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa is aimed at elevating families from bad conditions and has already been adopted by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing as part of its 100 day strategies.
Responding to questions in the National Assembly on Wednesday during a question and answer session, Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister July Moyo said the Government was aware of the squalid living conditions in some suburbs.
"There are a lot of our people who are living under extreme conditions of pressure from lack of adequate accommodation, crowded accommodation and dilapidated accommodation, some of it dating way back to the early days of colonialism.
Government is very aware of this situation and we are saying, as we plan ahead, the President has said, let us have a Command Housing programme which does not only looks at housing expansion in new areas but looking at old townships or old areas where our people lived and see how we can uplift that housing pressure," said Min Moyo.
He said plans for the launch of a housing programme that does not only focus on new houses were at an advanced stage.
Also at the same time, looking at those old areas and see whether we can go and either put flats so that we can build better and more accommodation in areas that are restricted without too much expansion," Min Moyo told Parliament.
He said the plan will also will lessen pressure on sewerage and on water supply because they will not be expanding.
"The way we were now building our accommodation was just expanding too far, the local authorities cannot afford to pay for the services. So, I want to thank the honourable member for raising this issue which Government is looking at very seriously in order to alleviate the problems that our people are facing," said Min Moyo.
"I cannot give a timetable as to exactly when we will be alleviating all these. But, let us not also forget that every city, Kadoma included, Bulawayo, Masvingo and Mutare, where you have had all these old accommodation, some of which we call misana yenzou, we need to pay attention to that."
He said they were engaging local authorities on the programme so that they do not forget about all these areas where dilapidation has taken place.
Source - chronicle
