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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter

FBC Building Society has started preliminary works to construct 764 houses and a block of flats under the Empumalanga Phase Six housing scheme in Hwange which will offset the town’s 4 000 housing waiting list.

The financial institution and Hwange Local Board signed an agreement in 2018 to kick start the project.

FBC Building Society bought land that will have 764 houses and a block of flats, a school, a district commercial mall, a Small and Medium Enterprise (SME) industrial site, two crèche stands as well as three church stands.

The FBC Building Society’s group marketing and public relations head Ms Anne Mabuto said the financial institution considers Hwange to be a strategic mining and tourist site which will be the hub of economic growth for Matabeleland North province. She also said the town is also within strategic distance to Victoria Falls.

“FBC Building Society will soon be embarking on an exciting housing project in the resort and mining town of Hwange. This resonates with the Government’s vision 2030 of providing decent accommodation for all Zimbabweans and leaving no one and no place behind. 

The Building Society intends to undertake the project in a phased approach with Phase one expected to commence by the first half of this year. It will comprise of serviced stands, two and three bedroomed units so that all income segments are catered for,” said Ms Mabuto.

According to the memorandum of agreement gleaned by Chronicle, FBC Building Society bought the land for US$3 per square metre which according to the MoU, had to be paid in two installments within a period of 60 working days.

In the MoU, FBC Building Society undertook to fully service the stands which include surveying and providing on-site infrastructure.

The Empumalanga Phase Six housing scheme complements another housing project being undertaken by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities in Empumalanga West consisting of 2 000 low-cost residential stands.

Mr Dumisani Nsingo

Hwange Local Board spokesperson Mr Dumisani Nsingo said servicing the stands was 75 percent complete.

“Everything is progressing well,” said Mr Nsingo.

The construction of houses resonates well with the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy launched by President Mnangagwa in September 2021.

The policy is in line with vision 2030 which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-class economy.

The policy provides guidance on all human settlement development in the country and addresses issues concerning the provision of both on-site and off-site infrastructure prior to the construction of houses. The lack of supervision on parallel development among other concerns is also addressed by the policy. It takes into account the impact of dysfunctional settlements, the land barons’ scourge as well as the issue of spatial planning, densification and adoption of appropriate technologies, including modern housing structures adapted for climate change and resilience.

President Mnangagwa said the policy further captures Government’s preference for the development of flats as opposed to stand-alone units as vertical construction reduces the scourge of urban sprawl and maximises on the effective use of the land available for urban expansion as densification significantly reduces the cost of providing on-site infrastructure.

He said the full implementation of Human Settlements Policy must drive the country on a path to an orderly and well-built environment. – @skhumoyo2000