Opinion / Columnist
Give us our flats.
24 Mar 2018 at 13:50hrs | Views
The government Pay-For-Your-House Scheme of the crest-fallen Ignatius Chombo era remains a pending and burning issue. Many people joined the scheme with high hopes of owning a Flat or house and started paying monthly contributions upon joining.
This happened in the early nineties well before the hyperinflation that shook the economy. A number of high-rise flats were put up in Tafara, Sunningdale and DZ.
However, the projects were later abandoned without explanation although people continued paying hoping construction would resume.
Similar projects were also taking place in other towns and I am not sure if those were completed. When no construction resumed, contributors who had not been allocated the flats thronged offices of the Housing Ministry for redress without success. Promises morphed into despair and hopelessness, no flats and no refunds.
Some spoke in hushed tones alleging that the fund had been 'raided' by the powerful and the well-connected to build their mansions.
The poor masses were left with no roof and more poorer, who shall speak for the down trodden? Can a voice be heard for the voiceless?
At the material time the contributions were quite 'heavy' meaning the money was invested in some buildings and structures of high value to this day, assets that are yielding high returns. May authorities please treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.
This happened in the early nineties well before the hyperinflation that shook the economy. A number of high-rise flats were put up in Tafara, Sunningdale and DZ.
However, the projects were later abandoned without explanation although people continued paying hoping construction would resume.
Similar projects were also taking place in other towns and I am not sure if those were completed. When no construction resumed, contributors who had not been allocated the flats thronged offices of the Housing Ministry for redress without success. Promises morphed into despair and hopelessness, no flats and no refunds.
Some spoke in hushed tones alleging that the fund had been 'raided' by the powerful and the well-connected to build their mansions.
The poor masses were left with no roof and more poorer, who shall speak for the down trodden? Can a voice be heard for the voiceless?
At the material time the contributions were quite 'heavy' meaning the money was invested in some buildings and structures of high value to this day, assets that are yielding high returns. May authorities please treat this matter with the urgency it deserves.
Source - Tondorindo Murisa Chinehasha.
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