Chiredzi starts servicing housing stands

Source: Chiredzi starts servicing housing stands | The Herald July 3, 2019

Tawanda Mangoma in CHIREDZI
Chiredzi Town Council has started servicing over 1 000 medium-density residential stands as it moves to reduce the town’s housing backlog.

The town, which has more than 20 000 people on its waiting list, has identified housing delivery as one of its priority areas as it angles for municipal status in the next few years. Council chair Councillor Gibson Hwende yesterday said the local authority was striving to give beneficiaries real value for their money as developers have already started clearing roads.

“We are very much delighted that our medium density residential stands project has started on a very good note after the contracted developer has already started opening roads,” he said.

“This is one project in which our council would like to correct past mistakes at which residents ended up constructing houses at Makondo area before the development of roads. This is a new chapter at which roads, sewer, water and electricity must be installed and the people start construction works at their new houses.”

He said as council their motive was to attain municipality status by 2023.

“The reason why we are emphasizing on quality is because we are serious towards attaining municipality status by 2023. We want to improve on service delivery and this can only be achieved if council and residents work together,” he said.

Chiredzi Residents and Rate Payers Association chair Mr Jonathan Muusha said residents were prepared to work with council if they focus on improving service delivery.

“We are very delighted that council is working towards improving the quality of service for its residents. We do not want a repeat of what happened in Makondo Extension project where residents constructed houses in an area that had no roads, sewer and water,” said Mr Muusha.

The recent developments come on the backdrop of the allocation of 750 hectares of land to Chiredzi Town by Government for opening new residential areas and general urban expansion.