KWEKWE is set to get a state-of-the-art Government complex and housing units as the Second Republic steps up efforts towards improving the welfare of its workers and addressing accommodation challenges in the mining city.
This emerged during a recent Kwekwe District stakeholders meeting in the city. Kwekwe, which was established in 1898 as a mining town, becoming a municipality in 1934 and later a city in 1997, has no Government complex.
Government departments are spread across the city, making it difficult for residents to access critical services.
Most departments and ministries, among them the Ministry of Primary and Secondary Education and the Public Service Commission have resorted to converting houses meant for civil servants into offices.
The District Development Co-ordinator’s office, District Development Fund (DDF), the civil court and registry are all crowded in a dilapidated building that has since been decommissioned.
The building was decommissioned amid reports that there are mining tunnels that run underneath, amid fears of the ground caving in.
Most of the buildings housing Government departments were built during the colonial era and there have no proper ablution facilities and running water.
The proposed construction of the housing units is in line with the dictates of the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy (ZNHSP).
Cabinet adopted the ZNHSP in November 2020 and it was subsequently launched by President Mnangagwa last year in September.
The policy is in line with Vision 2030 and also dovetails with other regional and international development policies. It integrates implications of climate change with aspects of rural and urban settlement planning, development and management.
The district public works officer, Mr Willard Madamombe, said the construction of a Government complex is in the pipeline.
“We have since made applications for funds to start construction of a Government complex, which will house several departments and it is awaiting approval by relevant authorities. We have since been given land by Kwekwe City Council,” he said.
Mr Madamombe said they have been trying without success to secure a more convenient office space to rent for some Government departments.
“We have been looking for temporary space that can be used by some Government departments and each time we secured a deal, it ends up flopping in the eleventh hour. In that regard, the construction of a Government complex should therefore be sped up,” he said.
Kwekwe district development co-ordinator, Mr Fortune Mpungu said lack of a proper office space for Government departments is stifling service delivery.
“The situation in Kwekwe is not pleasing at all as it is affecting effective service delivery by most Government departments. We are crammed in a small space where you also have the civil court, the Civil Registry, DDF among others, which makes it not conducive,” he said.
Mr Mpungu said due to unavailability of office space in Kwekwe, some departments are operating from Zhombe.
“The Forestry Department is actually operating from Zhombe since they failed to secure office space in Kwekwe. We have the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation and that of Women Affairs, Community and Small and Medium Enterprises Development, located in the industrial area,” he said.
“It becomes difficult for my office to co-ordinate critical Government programmes given that these departments are scattered all over and difficult to manage.”
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is working with local authorities to construct more housing units and flats for residents in Kwekwe.
According to a report, the ministry is working on construction of 16 blocks of flats in Mbizo 22, which can accommodate 128 families.
Kwekwe City Council is set to unveil about 150 residential stands in Mbizo 18 while Redcliff has set aside about 500 stands which are being serviced.
“We are mandated to play our part as a district towards achievement of this target. We are, therefore, roping in private developers in some instances in line with public private partnerships so that this can be attained,” read part of the report.
Kwekwe and Redcliff have a housing backlog of more than 50 000.
Housing delivery is one of the 14 national priorities under the National Development Strategy (NDS1), and the key result for the housing thematic area is the delivery of decent, affordable and quality settlements in urban and rural areas.
The country’s national housing backlog stands at about 1,2 million and housing delivery is one of the key NDS1 pillars. The housing delivery pillar within the NDS1 is expected to deliver 220 000 housing units by 2025 and over 470 000 homes by 2030 through collective efforts from stakeholders and all parties involved in human settlements delivery to reduce the estimated 1,5 million housing backlog.
To reduce the national backlog, the Government, private sector and individuals are working together to roll out construction projects, which also entails provision of on-site developments such as roads, water and sewer reticulation services at existing projects. – The Chronicle
