GOVERNMENT has warned that it would soon impose harsh measures against land barons if they continue causing land degradation and exploiting home seekers.
Addressing a Press conference in Harare yesterday, National Housing and Social Amenities minister Daniel Garwe said: "There will be no room for land barons of whatever nature or size. Land barons will be dealt with because we want people to have security of tenure; we want people to have houses with title deeds. These are the issues that we are now working on.”
The Press conference followed a courtesy call at the National Housing and Social Amenities ministry by the newly-appointed Shelter Afrique managing director, Theirno Habib.
"In terms of the Zimbabwean human settlement policy, no settlements are going to be allowed in all wetlands, no settlements are going to be allowed on stream banks and river banks. Those that were built in these areas, government has already started developing areas in safe grounds and these people will be relocated,” he said.
Garwe said government policy was clear that anyone found selling State land would be prosecuted.
Government is set to receive a US$25 million loan from Shelter Afrique, a pan-African finance institution that exclusively supports the development of housing and real estate in Africa, which will be used to support government's programme of providing affordable serviced land and houses.
Garwe said the facility was a sovereign funding initiative through his ministry.
“But are facilities for banks, women, pension funds, insurance companies and property developers,” he said.
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Habib urged government to engage the private sector in housing projects.
"The concept is very simple, government cannot do it all. Government has many other priorities beyond housing. It’s important that government leverages the private sector to deliver on its housing targets. Developed countries rely on the private sector. Shelter Afrique has come up with initiatives to engage government and institutions to scale up housing beyond the private sector,” he said.
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