Houses for civil servants 

Source: Houses for civil servants | The Herald 19 DEC, 2018

Dr Vincent Hungwe

Nyemudzai Kakore Herald Correspondent
CIVIL servants, who are set to benefit from the Government’s $60 million non-monetary incentive scheme, should move into their new houses by April next year, the Public Service Commission (PSC) has said. The first 500 civil servants have so far been profiled by the National Building Society (NBS)to benefit from the programme and have been given offer letters to access mortgage loans.

In an interview yesterday after touring the three sites for the housing units, PSC chairperson Dr Vincent Hungwe said the Government’s commitment to provide decent and affordable housing to the people of Zimbabwe was unequivocal.
Dr Hungwe said the first housing site was at Knockmalloch along Harare-Bulawayo Road in Norton.
There are two other sites are near Glaudina and Dzivaresekwa in Harare.

The Knockmalloch site will have 260 houses out of 600 units, Dzivaresekwa (262) and Glaudina (270).
“This is where we are starting as the Public Service Commission and we expect that this will become a national programme, which continues to demonstrate Government’s commitment to ensuring its employees have access to accommodation,” said Dr Hungwe. He said land had also been serviced in Norton for the same purpose.

“The land in Norton has been serviced and the beneficiaries have been identified. It is expected that come the end of the first quarter of 2019, the beneficiaries will be moving into their properties,” said Dr Hungwe.

“The second project here in Harare is the Glaudina one. The units are being built and there are about 270 for civil servants. Here in Dzivaresekwa, we have been informed that there are 600 units and 220 of them will accommodate civil servants.”
Dr Hungwe said the programme would deliver affordable, low-cost but decent housing for low-income earners.
He emphasised the project would also accommodate Zimbabweans who are not civil servants.

“In terms of affordability, it all depends on what you would want and what you can afford. I am told there are single bedroom units here that are $18 000; there are two-roomed units and three bedroomed units. The units still live a room for someone to extend depending on their capacity,” he said.

“Although this project is open to civil servants, there are units that are available to non-civil servants. For example, out of the 600 units in Kuwadzana, only 220 will be allocated to civil servants.

“We are not trying to create an environment where civil servants live alone; they are part and parcel of a society so we are not going to cordon them off in their own camps where they do not interact with other members of society. However, wherever there is an estate, we are saying let us take action to ensure that civil servants are accommodated into those estates.”

Government has over the years identified land in various cities and towns for residential stands and construction of high-rise apartment blocks for civil servants as part of non-monetary incentives for State workers.