THOUSANDS of home-seekers in Kariba are pinning their hopes on the Kasese housing scheme now taking shape after it had stalled for years. The project resumed in May this year after an abrupt stop due to the expiry of an environmental impact assessment and other legal matters that were being raised by Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority pertaining to boundary issues.
Project contractor, Integrated Construction Projects has also mobilised equipment which is already on the site with most of the works having been covered. Some of the works done include internal sewage and water reticulation, roads up to subgrade, construction of anaerobic ponds done.
The project was stopped with completed work at 55%, but the ground covered was affected when the project stalled. National Housing and Social Amenities deputy minister Yeukai Simbanegavi toured the project last week and reiterated the need to assist all home-seekers in the resort town.
“This is the project that we started some time ago and as you can see the contractor is on-site and work is resuming well,” she said. “Roads are 95% complete and everything is going well.
“About 1 500 households are set to benefit from this development. This scheme comes as a solution to 390 families living under powerlines in Mahombekombe who are set to be relocated to Kasese when the right time comes.
“By the end of this year, we expect to have completed the project because our duty as government is to make sure no one faces accommodation challenges.”
Kariba Municipality housing and social amenities committee chairperson Rhodreck Mugwanhira said the project would ease accommodation pressure in the resort town.
“We want to applaud the government for the project which we think has come at the right time. It has not been easy, especially for the families housed under the powerlines as they continue risking their lives but with this project this will be a thing of the past,” he said.
Source Newsday
