Mkoba South MP Escalates GCC's Incomplete Mkoba 21 Stand Servicing to Parliament

…Local Gvt Minister says complainants should put it in black and white

By Delicious Mathu

Harare - Mkoba South Member of Parliament, Honourable (Hon.) John Kuka, has escalated the long-delayed Mkoba 21 housing project in Gweru to Parliament.

Legislators recently pressed the government for answers on the stalled allocation of stands and the general lack of progress in servicing basic infrastructure.

Speaking during a question-and-answer session with Ministers in Parliament, Hon. Kuka expressed concern about the continued delays, noting that some beneficiaries are dying without ever seeing their stands, while others are retiring without being afforded the opportunity to build their homes.

"We have a challenge here…We are looking forward to seeing things that are under the purview of Local Government expedited.

"Most of the workers are dying to the extent that they may not have the opportunity to build on their stands.

"If you look at 12 years, there are many pensioners who are leaving work and are unable to build on these stands.

"If they are unable to build on these stands when they leave work, what is the government's policy to ensure that the allocation of stands is done swiftly and servicing can be done swiftly?" asked Hon. Kuka.

Local Government and Public Works Minister, Hon. Dr. Daniel Garwe, responded with a detailed breakdown of the current status of Mkoba 21, confirming that only a fraction of the stands have been released for development.

“The City of Gweru engaged three developers or partners, namely Sheasham Investments, WackDrive Industries, and Casas Properties," he said.

"Out of a total of 6,846 stands in Mkoba 21, the Ministry was informed that the following were approved for partial compliance, and the construction of housing units is also ongoing: Paradise 398 stands, Sheasham 17, Turn Phase 424 stands, and Rosemont 271 stands. The total stands released is 1,093,” said Minister Garwe.

The decade-long project, which was meant to address Gweru’s growing housing demand and also used as compensation for some workers' salary arrears and bonuses, has been beset by delays.

Beneficiaries have expressed frustration over the slow pace of stand allocations.

Minister Garwe acknowledged the concerns, confirming that the developers were on site but emphasized the need for continued servicing work.

“Currently, all developers are on-site doing servicing. Servicing refers to the construction of roads, as well as water and sewer circulation,” Minister Garwe told the National Assembly.

He also admitted that challenges had arisen from both the developers’ capacity and economic factors.

“When we are doing this, we must know that we have had challenges with currency and inflation, which were caused by the induced illegal sanctions. Sometimes the developers ended up failing to service the stands because of inflation,” he said.

The Minister, however, stressed that these challenges should not become permanent bottlenecks.

“All those things combined, we must also come up with a solution to make sure that the developers finish their work,” he said, adding, “Right now, there is nothing that is hindering them from finishing the servicing and people getting their stands.”

Minister Garwe further explained the Ministry’s position regarding the coordination between developers, the Gweru City Council, and the Ministry itself.

“We are going to send you (Hon. Kuka) to explain to the council workers that if there is a delay, they must write to the Ministry of Local Government," he said.
"When we have a document, we are going to be able to ask the council and also ask the developers for an explanation so that we clearly understand what is happening."

The Mkoba 21 housing project was meant to alleviate Gweru's housing backlog, which stood at over 30,000 applicants when the project was first conceptualized. The number has since swelled to almost 40,000.

Despite the partial compliance of some stands, the bulk of the 6,846 stands remain unserviced, leaving thousands of beneficiaries waiting. Part 4