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Lumbidzani Dima, Chronicle Reporter
THE Bulawayo City Council (BCC) yesterday commissioned 267 residential stands in Emganwini suburb with more expected to be availed soon in an attempt to fight the housing backlog which is currently standing at over 100 000.

The local authority is expected to deliver 3 000 stands annually to reduce the housing demand. The national development agenda is the provision of 220 000 housing units by 2030.

The housing stands that were commissioned are a product of public private partnership between BCC and TCI International Pvt Ltd run by Mr Chris Mutungwazi and his family.

TCI International was awarded the contract in 2019 and has completed the services on time.

Under the partnership, the city provided the land while TCI International serviced the stands which involved road construction and other services.

Bulawayo mayor councillor Solomon Mguni said despite the challenges they are facing as a local authority they are committed towards the provision of housing to residents.

“The city has as a result implemented different strategies to ensure provision of housing in a bid to reduce the ballooning housing waiting list and also ensure that we meet the national development agenda for the provision of 220 000 housing units by 2030,” he said.

“The city’s vision recognises that provision of adequate and safe housing is key in achieving the new urban agenda which sets standards for sustainable urban development.”

Bulawayo mayor Councillor Solomon Mguni

The mayor commended the public private partnership as it has borne the necessary fruits for the city and the nation.

Mr Mutungwazi said their main objective is to make a positive difference in the society and they are proud to have achieved one of their objectives on time in such a time as this. When the Covid-19 pandemic was a hindrance to the completion of many projects.

“The biggest challenge we had was that we had to operate during a time of this new normal, with lockdown measures to avoid possible infections,” he said.

Mr Mutungwazi said with the 267 stands commissioned they have left a legacy and challenged council to use them as they have not been used enough. He said they are willing to service more stands in the city.

Bulawayo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Judith Ncube

Bulawayo Minister for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Judith Ncube commended the local authority for striving towards providing adequate housing for residents of the city as evidenced by the commissioning of stands.

She said the housing waiting list is standing at over 130 000 with the major challenge being the mismatch between housing demand and supply.

Minister Ncube said any housing conflicts even after the commissioning of stands should be brought to the local authority so as to ensure order and peace in the city.

In May BCC commissioned 114 housing stands in the same Emganwini suburb and they were serviced by Natwecraft Investments, a local company run by Mr Nkululeko Moyo and his wife.