Online Reporter
LOCAL GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC WORKS Minister DANIEL GARWE recently signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Pinnacle Holdings for the implementation of a housing project dubbed Nyore Nyore Housing Scheme, which is set to roll out 250 000 residential stands and flats. The Sunday Mail Business spoke to Pinnacle Holdings chairperson Mr PHILLIP CHIYANGWA to get finer details on how the project will be executed. Below are excerpts of the interview.
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Q: Please give us an overview of the Nyore Nyore Housing Scheme and the deal you have entered into with Government.
A: Pinnacle has signed an MoU with Government. At the signing ceremony, I represented Pinnacle and the Minister of Local Government (and Public Works) Daniel Garwe represented the Government.
We are looking at 250 000 units of residential stands and flats, initially, on the outskirts of Harare. The available area so far is mainly in Manyame and also in Ruwa and Somerby. The land there is ready and people will soon be allocated into specific areas. Then, separate from the outskirts of Harare, we also have other provinces. We will move next to Mashonaland West province, which I believe has the potential to be the biggest area for these projects, because, as Pinnacle, this is the province where we have the biggest tracts of land.
We will then move to the Midlands, Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North, Masvingo, then we will hit the remaining provinces.
I need to emphasise that this programme is open to everyone.
Obviously, civil servants are taking the lead, but everyone can benefit if they are willing to be part of it.
Q: What informed this project?
A: This is a programme that we as a company have had in mind for a long time and have been waiting to implement because we have the land. However, this was disrupted by land barons who entered our areas and started to cheat and steal land. These land barons have been stealing land owned by the State, by council or private owners, and we have been one of the worst affected companies . . .
I am happy now that the Government has taken a bold stance to deal with anyone who purports to want to say this is my land when it is not, and they have partnered with us to deliver proper housing projects to the people.
Q: Now that the programme has kicked off in Manyame, what progress has been made onsite?
A: In Manyame, a lot of headway has been made. We have 2 000 hectares of land there, where a lot of work has been done on the roads, water and street lighting, where we will instal solar lights. We will also put CCTVs in this area.
I can say, in Manyame, we have already started building a new city.
People will no longer be coming to Harare’s CBD (central business district) because our vision is to make the area a smart city . . . I want to leave that legacy of having created cities through these housing programmes.
The residential areas that we are going to create are going to be gated communities.
Q: How are these housing projects going to contribute to the broader economy?
A: In terms of job creation, we are going to create thousands of employment opportunities.
For instance, so far, we have already employed about 500 for the Manyame project. The deliberate plan is to employ people from those communities where the housing development will be taking place. Manyame will be self-contained. It will have hospitals, schools and shopping malls. Manyame will be a clean city, and we will not accept sub-standard structures.
The broader vision is to eliminate informal settlements . . .
Q: Can you give us a pointer on the payment models that prospective homeowners should expect?
A: The biggest customer here is the Government. We will discuss the terms that are favourable to civil servants. These are the terms that will also apply to the rest of the people who are not civil servants but are interested in the programme.
I understand that we can start even at a seven-year period for paying for the stands.
Q: So, a person can buy a residential stand over a seven-year period?
A: Yes, it all depends with what we agree with Government. As a company, we are prepared to deliver residential stands or fully built houses.
We are ready to build model houses. We will continue engaging to find out what’s best for all parties. The whole idea is to make this scheme affordable to the civil servants and ordinary Zimbabweans who want to be homeowners.
Q: What are the timelines for implementation.
A: For the Manyame project . . . we are expecting the first allocations in a few months. However, as you know, . . . we will also be working with Government, which will also help in determining the timelines.
Q: How does the programme feed into the President’s Vision 2030 for an upper middle-income economy?
A: The background to this is that discussions were held and the President approved it.
What we need to emphasise is that this programme makes owning a home affordable. It allows people to buy property on mortgage bonds. You only have to pay a small deposit and you are allocated the land and get a title deed. Owning a title deed is the biggest form of empowerment because you can unlock more value from that.
All these are elements of an upper middle-income economy.
Q: How confident are you that this programme will be successful?
A: I am very confident in my abilities to see this prospect coming to pass. I am proud of my history in the construction industry. I served as president of the Construction Industry Federation of Zimbabwe. This position also meant that I was chairperson of the Zimbabwe Construction Industry Council . . . I fully understand the environment . . .
I have built thousands of houses, shopping malls, hotels and schools as an individual.
Q: You spoke about the challenge of land barons. What needs to be done to eliminate this scourge?
A: I believe land barons should be given mandatory jail sentences so that people are dissuaded from that conduct. Property rights are human rights.
