Staff Reporter
His Excellency the President and ZANU PF First Secretary today officially launched the much awaited National Human Settlement Policy.
The policy is in line with vision 2030 and also dovetails with other regional and international development policies. It seeks to implement the relevant aspects of Agenda 2030, the African Union Agenda 2063, Zimbabwe's vision 2030, the national Constitution and national and international resilience framework.
According to the ZANU PF 2018 Manifesto, Government is seized with clearing a huge housing backlog and bringing sanity to unplanned urban land development while improving social amenities in urban centers.
President Mnangagwa, “My Government has laid down the foundation for coordinated forward planning and timeous implementation of housing programmes, including provision of the requisite ancillary infrastructure. Let me therefore take this opportunity to launch the Zimbabwe national Human Settlement Policy. It is a culmination of wide consultations with various stakeholders across the country’s ten provinces.
“The Policy provides guidance on all Human Settlement development in the country and addresses issues concerning the provision of both on-site and off-site infrastructure prior to construction of houses. The lack of supervision on parallel development among other concerns is also addressed therein. It takes into account the impact of dysfunctional settlements, the land barons scourge, as well as the issue of spatial planning, densification and adoption of appropriate technologies, including modern housing structures adapted for climate change and resilience,” President Mnangagwa.
President Mnangagwa went on to highlight what the policy entails and what the expectations will be with regards to the Human Settlements.
“The new Policy extends the scope of housing beyond urban and peri-urban centers to rural and farming communities. In this regard, I urge farmers to use their earnings from the last successful cropping season to modernise and improve the quality of their household infrastructure and amenities. This will enhance the attractiveness of our rural communities, stem rural to urban migration and promote further development of rural industry systems as we seek to industrialise our rural areas.
“The National Human Settlements Policy further captures Government’s preference for the development of flats as opposed to stand-alone units. Vertical construction reduces the scourge of urban sprawl and maximises on the effective use of land available for urban expansion as densification significantly reduces the cost of providing on-site infrastructure.
“The full implementation of Human Settlements Policy must drive the country on a path to an orderly and well-built environment. I therefore exhort local authorities and other players in the Human Settlements value chain, to acquaint themselves with the Policy and also begin to implement it with urgency,” His Excellency said.