News / National
Facelift for Makokoba flats
26 Feb 2025 at 12:14hrs | Views
The government has announced plans to rehabilitate rundown flats in urban areas, including Matapi Flats in Mbare, Harare, and Makokoba Flats in Bulawayo, as part of an urban renewal initiative.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Zhemu Soda revealed the plans while responding to oral questions in the National Assembly regarding the state of housing infrastructure, particularly in Matapi, Makokoba, and Iminyela Flats.
"We have embarked on a plan to renew those houses to bring them back to a condition where they will be properly habitable," Soda said. "We will ensure that the facilities that support the houses, including toilets and other essential amenities, are also restored."
However, he emphasized that the success of the rehabilitation project would depend on the availability of resources, which Parliament would need to allocate.
Soda further explained that urban renewal is a key government policy, but implementation falls largely under local authorities, which are responsible for providing budgets for specific projects.
"Most of the urban settlements are under local authorities, and as a policy of government, we are pursuing urban renewal. However, the specific budgets must be provided by the respective councils," he said.
The issue of Mbare's deteriorating hostels has been a long-standing political battle. Ahead of the 2018 elections, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga pledged to replace the flats with modern structures. He later claimed that the opposition-led Harare City Council had blocked central government efforts to improve the area. The opposition, in turn, has accused Zanu-PF of deliberately frustrating council-led attempts to rehabilitate Mbare’s crumbling hostels.
Built during the colonial era, Mbare Flats house thousands of families who rely on communal toilets and water points. In 2011, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project to renovate Matapi Flats was stalled due to political interference.
The government’s latest commitment to urban renewal offers a glimmer of hope for residents, but whether the plans will materialize remains to be seen, given the history of stalled initiatives and political disputes over housing projects.
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Zhemu Soda revealed the plans while responding to oral questions in the National Assembly regarding the state of housing infrastructure, particularly in Matapi, Makokoba, and Iminyela Flats.
"We have embarked on a plan to renew those houses to bring them back to a condition where they will be properly habitable," Soda said. "We will ensure that the facilities that support the houses, including toilets and other essential amenities, are also restored."
However, he emphasized that the success of the rehabilitation project would depend on the availability of resources, which Parliament would need to allocate.
Soda further explained that urban renewal is a key government policy, but implementation falls largely under local authorities, which are responsible for providing budgets for specific projects.
"Most of the urban settlements are under local authorities, and as a policy of government, we are pursuing urban renewal. However, the specific budgets must be provided by the respective councils," he said.
The issue of Mbare's deteriorating hostels has been a long-standing political battle. Ahead of the 2018 elections, Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga pledged to replace the flats with modern structures. He later claimed that the opposition-led Harare City Council had blocked central government efforts to improve the area. The opposition, in turn, has accused Zanu-PF of deliberately frustrating council-led attempts to rehabilitate Mbare’s crumbling hostels.
Built during the colonial era, Mbare Flats house thousands of families who rely on communal toilets and water points. In 2011, a Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation-funded project to renovate Matapi Flats was stalled due to political interference.
The government’s latest commitment to urban renewal offers a glimmer of hope for residents, but whether the plans will materialize remains to be seen, given the history of stalled initiatives and political disputes over housing projects.
Source - newsday
