HLB housing project ‘progressing well’

The Hwange Local Board (HLB) is in the process of installing water and sewer reticulation systems to 508 residential stands and housing units in Empumalanga Phase 4 housing project.

HLB town secretary Mr Ndumiso Mdlalose yesterday said the project is now “progressing well”, after delays occasioned by legacy issues dating back to 2009, when the local authority’s previous administration engaged a contractor who failed to service the residential stands.

“Irked by the delay in servicing, some of the beneficiaries moved in and started constructing their houses,” said Mr Mdlalose.

He said council has not given occupation certificates to the beneficiairies because the area has not been serviced.

“Those that have already occupied the houses have done so illegally,” said Mdlalose.

He said while council accepts that it has delayed to service the area, it does not condone illegal occupation of houses.

Mr Mdlalose said it was also illegal for beneficiaries to use sceptic tanks since Phase 4 is a high density area.

He said when the present administration came in, it made it clear that it was committed to restoring confidence between the local authority and residents.

HLB applied and received funding through the Public Sector Investment Programme, which it channelled towards the construction of a road network in the unserviced area.

Last year, HLB started installing the water reticulation system using own financial resources and has so far connected more than 200 stands.

Mr Mdlalose said council expects to complete connecting water to all the houses in the next six months.

“Thereafter, work on the sewer reticulation system starts and should be completed before the end of the year.

“Additional funding for the Phase 4 project has been provided for in the council’s 2021 budget,” he said.

Mr Mdlalose appealed to the residents to be patient while council addresses the delays in servicing the area.

Turning to the Empumalanga West housing project, Mr Mdlalose said it has been handed over to the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities.

The project was a council initiative deliberately designed for low income earners.

Beneficiaries were supposed to contribute towards the servicing of their stands, but the majority failed to meet the down payments towards the purchase and servicing cost their stands.

In 2016, HLB courted a financial partner, the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ), which took over the project and adopted all the paid up beneficiaries.

The project targets to provide 2 145 fully serviced housing stands with IDBZ having been expected to provide roads, street lighting, water and sewer infrastructure as well as constructing a water reservoir.

However, two years ago contractors selected by the IDBZ withdrew from site due to a change in the monetary policy regime when the exchange rate between the United States dollar and RTGS was equated.

The project remains incomplete and IDBZ has handed it over to the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities.

HLB has since signed a Deed of Novation to that effect, meaning that the local authority only comes in as the owners of the land.

The responsibility to service has been taken over by the ministry.

Accordingly, all beneficiaries of that project should now look up to the ministry for the completion of the services and anything to do with that project.-chronicle.cl.zw