The Public Service Association (PSA) and the Zimbabwe Local Government Association (Zilga) will soon sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to provide housing and farming stands to civil servants.
Speaking at the official opening of the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe (ARDCZ) Winter School at Hwange Safari Lodge on Thursday, president of Zilga and ARDCZ president Nimrod Chiminya said all consultations and agreements had been made between the two parties and an official signing ceremony would be held soon.
“This has been happening but on a small scale. Local authorities will provide housing stands. It is an exclusive programme to benefit civil servants,” he said. “The local authorities will provide housing, commercial and farming stands which will improve the lives of civil servants. When you do house development, you identify an estate of about 1 000 hectares for residential stands that will be subdivided to a number of sizes depending on the financial might of the sponsor,” he said.
Chiminya said the programme would be rolled out in phases, “and after the signing of the MoU, it does not mean the project will start automatically but the local authorities will have to identify the land first and get approval for the subdivisions”.
“The local authorities have not been servicing land for housing because of financial constraints but the PSA has come up with a way where they can mobilise funds from the beneficiaries and their respective sponsors.”
Chiminya called on local authorities to identify land in desired areas so that they could attract the beneficiaries.
Chiminya reiterated that it was the local authorities’ mandate to provide residents with housing stands, “and this deal with the PSA does not mean other residents will stop from benefiting. This is not a new scheme, we will also want to capitalise so that local authorities will resume servicing stands for the people.”
Speaking at the same function, Director of Rural Local Authorities in the Ministry of Local Government Rural and Urban Development Abiot Maroge said the ministry will soon come up with a capacity building programme for all local authorities.
