Housing delivery: Bids invited for 10 blocks of flats

The ambitious housing programme to build 220 000 houses and flats by 2025 received a major boost last week when the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities invited bids from interested companies for the construction of 10 blocks of flats each of 10 floors in southern Harare.

“The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities of the Republic of Zimbabwe is requesting from interested and potential bidders for the Expression of Interest for the construction of 10 by 10 storey blocks of flats in Prospect, Waterfalls, Harare,” reads part of the notice.

The expression of interest must be submitted by Friday next week.

Government has prioritised the construction of flats as part of efforts to clear the housing backlog and provide affordable accommodation to lower-income earners.

Early this year, Cabinet approved a housing fund for the construction of affordable housing for civil servants and those in the private sector.

The Musha-Muzi Housing Programme would be spearheaded by the Zimbabwe Investment Development Agency and would be implemented in four phases.

The first phase targets civil servants while the other three phases will target nonGovernment employees.

Under the programme, four-roomed houses would be constructed on 200-square metre stands while in redevelopment areas, the programme will focus on high rise buildings in areas already serviced by existing municipal facilities such as sewers, water mains and roads to make full use of existing infrastructure.

The fund through its managers will appoint and approve developers for the construction of houses and flats with each developer expected to construct a minimum of 50 homes.

Interested financial institutions with the capacity to provide mortgage facilities would be assigned a stock of houses and flats to release to the market.

Government has set a target to provide 220 000 houses and flats by 2025 as envisioned in the National Human Settlements Policy launched by President Mnangagwa last month.

Provision of decent accommodation is part of Government’s broader policy of achieving an upper middle income economy and society as enunciated in Vision 2030.-The Herald