Govt exceeds housing delivery target

Blessings Chidakwa

Herald Reporter

The Second Republic has successfully delivered 700 000 housing units under National Development Strategy 1 (NDS1), exceeding its initial target of 220 000 and is now approaching a new goal of one million units.

Under the leadership of President Mnangagwa, the Government has prioritised the provision of affordable, modern and safe houses, recognising housing as a basic and fundamental need.

The revised target was announced during a media session aimed at enhancing interactions between journalists and Cabinet ministers, facilitated by Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Minister Dr Jenfan Muswere.

Among the attendees was National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Zhemu Soda, who expressed confidence in surpassing the revised target of one million housing units.

Minister Soda stated that since inception of the Second Republic, guided by the President’s vision, the Government aimed to construct a substantial number of houses within the National Development Strategy period, which runs from 2021 to 2025.

“The initial target, as I indicated, was 220 000 housing units. When we took stock in April last year, we realised that we had completed 272 000 houses, and the Cabinet is ready to review the target to 1 million housing units. As we speak, we have already achieved more than 700 000 housing units, which accounts for over 70 percent of our targets. This positions us well to achieve our goals by 2025,” he said.

Minister Soda emphasised that housing delivery is not solely the responsibility of the Ministry of National Housing; it involves collaboration with various stakeholders, including pension funds, insurance schemes, individuals, and civil society.  He noted ongoing partnerships with banks such as BancABC, CBZ, and CABS, highlighting the importance of private sector participation in realising the vision for 2030, which is expected to be led by the private sector.

“So we are crowding in the private sector by creating a conducive investment environment where they can find opportunities to participate in the housing delivery sector,” he said.