Story by Oleen Ndori
THE Government remains committed to ensuring the one million housing target is reached before the end of the year.
The memories of the 2023 Budiriro floods are still fresh in her mind, but thanks to the Government’s housing programme, Mai Ago and her family now have a safe home away from danger.
“I went to visit my father in 2023, and during one of those heavy rainy days, we were flooded. We lost each other in the chaos, and when we found each other, first was my sister and her kids, and then five days later, we finally found my child, but dead already. It is still painful, but at least I know this year we are in a safe haven, thanks to our President,” she recounts.
Sad and heartbreaking stories such as the one experienced by Mai Ago pushed the Government to respond and ensure that everyone has a safe roof over their heads.
In August 2024, President Emmerson Mnangagwa commissioned the Dzivarasekwa Flats in Harare, implemented by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities under the Enhanced Cabinet Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Management.
The project involved the construction of six three-storey blocks of flats, accommodating forty-eight families relocated from the flood-prone area of Budiriro.
“We just want to thank the President for these flats. We had been given nicknames in our societies and that was hurtful, but we are happy and living well now,” a beneficiary said.
“We are just happy here, and we owe everything to our President and Government for building these homes for us. Staying in Budiriro, especially during the rainy season, was hard, but now we are not even worried. We are certain that come the rains, even if we leave anyone home, we will come back to them alive and well,” another echoed.
With a target to reach one million houses by the end of the year, the Government is pleased with the progress recorded so far in addressing the housing backlog.
“You would be aware that in 2021, when we launched the Ministry’s policy, all the important work has been done to date. If you also recall, within the NDS1 running from 2021 to 2025, our initial target was 220,000 housing units. When we got to the mid-term review of our NDS1, we realised that we had surpassed that target, and Cabinet had to give a new target, which was reviewed to one million housing units, and that is what we are currently working towards when we get to the end of this year,” Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Honourable Zhemu Soda, said.
“I just want to assure you and the nation that we would have achieved that target of one million housing units. As much as a lot of effort has been done from the two million housing units which were the deficit then, we are mindful of the target being moving, given that the population continues to grow. The demand for housing is ever-growing; we have new families that are getting established, and obviously, houses will be required. So yes, we are reducing the deficit, but we will do our recalibration to ascertain the current deficit given the efforts that have been made. Currently, I would say we are over 800,000 housing units.”
Property developers are contributing to the housing delivery agenda under public-private partnerships.
“We have been working with Government on a number of projects across the country, with the latest being the Munhumutapa Housing Project, and we are indeed excited to play our part in ensuring that housing targets are met across the country,” contractor Engineer Julius Sibanda said.
Over the past 24 months, numerous projects have been commissioned by President Mnangagwa, ranging from the Zimbabwe Defence Forces Housing Project in Dzivarasekwa, Chimoio Flats, as well as the Zvishavane Housing Project, among others, reflecting commitment to basic housing for all.
The inclusive development agenda by Government ensures that projects such as this one speak to Vision 2030 of an upper middle-income society.
