THE Zimbabwe Amalgamated Housing Association (Zaha) has appealed to the government to make land available for residential accommodation in peri-urban areas as most councils no longer have land for such purposes.
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Addressing journalists at a briefing in the capital last week, Zaha president Killer Zivhu, said during the hyperinflationary period, a number of city councils throughout the country sold land in exchange for sundries such as fuel and working capital finance to individuals and housing associations.
“This situation has worsened the housing backlog as people cannot afford land in urban areas. It is against this background that we urge the government to make use of peri-urban areas to address this plight,” he said.
A 2010 Zimbabwe Millennium Development Goals report estimates a shortage of one million urban housing units, with this figure likely to increase due to an increased urbanisation rate, estimated to be between 5 to 6%.
Zivhu said his association in collaboration with property development company, DATCO Group had since made available 1 200 serviced stands in Kadoma to prospective home seekers.
Under the arrangement, Zaha members pay 1% of the total cost and receive house keys while the rest of the money is payable over 10 years.
He said the association in collaboration with ZABG Bank was also targeting to secure more than 500 000 stands for low-income earners and people involved in the informal sector by end of next year.
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DATCO Group general manager Desire Mutovo said all stands were council approved while demand for stands was very high.
