In an effort to address the housing backlog in Marondera, a private land developer, Rant Du Toit, has partnered with Zanu PF affiliate Homeseekers for Economic Development (Homeseeker4ED) to provide residential stands for approximately 4,000 homeseekers at Elmswood Farm.
The allocation process is scheduled to begin on Thursday and will significantly impact the lives of low-income individuals seeking affordable housing solutions.
The affordable residential stands will provide a much-needed opportunity for individuals who may have otherwise struggled to secure suitable housing within their budget.
“We are happy to be part of this project that will see about 4000 people benefiting from the 866ha piece of land we are currently working on. A number of low income earners are set to benefit from the programme and allocation of these stands begin on Thursday next week. We have come up with flexible terms of payments so that we accommodate a number of beneficiaries,” said Shumba.
In 2015, the Municipality of Marondera , received payments from thousands of home seekers on the pretext that it was going to dole out residential stands at Elmswood Farm.
The local authority admitted to have received close to US$2m but failed to deliver the residential stands as the targeted land was reportedly a private property.
Homeseekers4ED national chairperson Emmanuel Chiroto said they are also accommodating people who paid money to council eight years in the new project.
“As a trust with a huge membership we thought it wise to engage private land developers as local authorities are taking long to avail land for residential purposes. We approached a land developer with our membership and we are happy that some are going to benefit residential stands,” said Chiroto.
“We negotiated with the developer for flexible payment terms, with the full amount to be paid after ten years. Most of our members are low income earners. As we move towards achieving President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s Vision 2030 dream, we are leaving no one and no place behind as far as housing is concerned.
“We are going to engage more private land developers with authentic and legal documentation and local authorities across the country to address housing challenges. As for the Elmswood land, we are even embracing those who paid their monies to councils in 2015 but failed to get the stands.”
Flamboyant prophet and Zanu PF advocate Passion Java made a significant contribution to the Marondera community by pledging US$100,000 to expedite the servicing of land at Elmswood Farm.
This generous donation comes at a crucial time, as Marondera currently has nearly 20,000 people on its housing waiting list.
In an effort to address the housing crisis, the local authority has engaged in several initiatives, including trading 350 hectares of land at Hunyani Timberlands to a private developer, Mega Market.
SOURCE : NEWSDAY
