By Loyd Matare
Finance Minister Professor Mthuli Ncube yesterday commissioned the Waneka Housing Development Phase 3 in Graniteside, Harare, unveiling 48 new apartments as part of a drive to modernise urban housing and regularise settlements.
This comes at a time the country is facing a housing backlog with authorities banking on public-private partnerships to speed up delivery.
The Waneka project, a collaboration between the City of Harare and the Infrastructure Development Bank of Zimbabwe (IDBZ), has so far delivered 336 apartments at a combined cost running into millions of dollars.
Speaking during the commissioning ceremony, Ncube said the Waneka Housing Development Project represents a bold step in urban renewal, aimed at modernising housing, regularising settlements, and creating sustainable communities.
“Today we are gathered here in Graniteside Area to witness something that is much larger than bricks and mortar.
ALSO READ: Government to Absorb 22,000 Health Workers by Year-End as Donor Support Wanes
“We are here to celebrate the growing story of urban renewal. Urban renewal is not an abstract concept.
“It means upgrading our cities, modernising our housing stock, regularising settlements, and unlocking the economic value of land,” said Ncube.
He added:
“Waneka is a demonstration project, which shows that with land from local authorities, financing and technical facilitation from development banks, and investment from the private sector, we can create sustainable housing projects.
“This is a model that can be replicated in other cities and towns across the country.”
On the national housing pipeline, Ncube said:
“Altogether, the IDBZ housing pipeline runs into several thousand housing units and student beds nationwide, with a project portfolio worth hundreds of millions of US dollars.
“This is truly a national spread, covering Harare, Bulawayo, Kadoma, Lupane, Gwanda, Masvingo, Mutare, Chipinge, Plumtree, and other cities.”
