The Sunday Mail
Munyaradzi Musiiwa Midlands Correspondent
At least 550 houses will be built in Gweru under a project to complement Government efforts to avail decent accommodation to low-income earners.
Minister of State for Midlands Jason Machaya said the housing project being spearheaded by Youth Empowerment and Zim-Asset Initiative in partnership with a South African Investor, Lwandisele Trading (Pvt) Ltd, would also create employment.
The youth empowerment outfit headed by Mr Phinias Makombe also wants to service more than 1 500 residential stands.
Minister Machaya said Government fully supported local development initiatives and his office had assisted the youths to acquire residential stands.
“As Government and (Zanu-PF) we are very supportive of this initiative by the youth. Apart from availing stands, we would have loved to assist in building houses,” he said.
“We assisted the Youth Empowerment and Zim-Asset Initiative to acquire residential stands from Gweru City Council.
“I am informed that they have engaged a South African partner, Lwandisele Trading (Pvt) Ltd, which will help service the stands and construct houses.
“I am quite confident that the project will be a success and will go a long way to complement Government efforts to provide houses under the Zim-Asset economic blueprint.”
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, Mr Makombe said the South African investor had started bringing in construction machinery for the first phase of the project, targeting 200 houses.
He said their priority was allocating houses to youths under reasonable payment plans.
“We realised that most youths had no capacity to construct houses even after receiving stands.
“We felt it was more prudent to construct the houses, let people occupy them and start paying while living in their houses,” he said.
“We have a South African Investor who will be bringing equipment to undertake the programme. We are hoping that by January we would start developing the land as well as constructing the houses.”
Zimbabwe is targeting to construct 350 000 housing units by 2018 under Zim-Asset.
