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Leonard Ncube, Victoria Falls Reporter
GOVERNMENT is set to take over the implementation of the Empumalanga West Housing Project in Hwange, which has stalled because of lack of funding.

The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities and Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ) are reportedly working on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to allow the Government to take over the project and pay the contractors.

The project targets to provide 2 145 fully serviced housing stands but has stalled because of funding challenges, which saw contractors stopping civil works. The project is one of the four approved by IDBZ in the country in 2017 at a combined cost of US$108,4 million. The other projects are Kariba Housing Project, Sumben Housing in Harare as well as students and staff accommodation for seven universities.

The Hwange project was supposed to be implemented over 12 months at an estimated cost of US$5,8 million that was to be funded through a housing bond from IDBZ.

Responding to emailed questions, Hwange Local Board public relations officer, Mr Dumisani Nsingo, said the stands were partly serviced with water reticulation at almost 90 percent completion, sewer reticulation at 50 percent while roads had been cleared.

“The Empumalanga West project is a council initiative aimed at providing low cost housing for low income earners. Beneficiaries were paying US$50 per month towards servicing the area for road network, sewer and water,” he said.

“However, a number of beneficiaries experienced challenges making their monthly payments and council fell behind in its obligation to pay the contractors.

“The council then made proposals and roped in IDBZ and the area was declared a construction zone. Late last year there was another challenge due to a change in the monetary policy when the exchange rate between the United States dollar and RTGS was equated,” said Mr Nsingo.

He said the IDBZ had to renegotiate all contracts with contractors who insisted on getting paid in United States dollars but the two parties failed to agree hence the whole project stopped until now.

“There is no activity on site at the moment. Currently IDBZ is finalising an MoU with the Ministry of Housing and Social Amenities. Once that is done the Ministry will then take over the obligation to pay the contractors and we finish the project,” said Mr Nsingo.

“Our hope is that whoever takes over will be able to complete the project before the onset of the rains so that we don’t lose the work that had been done already.”

On site servicing includes construction of tarred roads, storm water drainage, public lighting, electricity, water and sewerage treatment plant and construction of ponds to treat sewer disposals.

Mr Nsingo said beneficiaries must not start building until the stands are serviced.

“As council we want to ensure that the road network, sewer and water system as well as lighting are done before people start construction activities,” he added.

Mr Nsingo said the Local Board was also working on rehabilitating the Empumalanga waste treatment plant, which is also part of the project.

The Government is working on an urban renewal plan that will see about 30 000 housing units being built in Hwange and Victoria Falls to ease housing challenges in the tourism district.

In his recent visit to Hwange and Victoria Falls, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Daniel Garwe said the Government wants to make sure all housing stands countrywide were fully serviced including connection to solar lighting and Wi-Fi network before construction of houses begins. — @ncubeleon