GAME CHANGER
THE planned construction of 40, 000 houses for civil servants is one project that should go a long way in increasing the country’s housing stock.
It is a well known fact that the country has a housing shortfall. It is a problem that has faced the country since independence.
And with the population increase, particularly in urban areas, demand for decent housing has not kept pace.
The planned building of the 40, 000 houses at a cost of US$1.4 billion will definitely be a game changer in the housing sector.
The ambitious housing project will come to fruition with the signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Zambia Union of Government and Allied Workers (UG) and a housing developer, Collins Mutual Limited.
UP President Muyaywa Kabisa signed for the labourmovement while Collins Mutual Limited Chief Operating Officer Raymond Kabonga signed for the company.
Mr Kabisa said the 40, 000 housing units will be offered to its members under a rent to buy facility.
According to Mr Kabisa, the construction of the 40, 000 housing units across the country will commence in April 2022, with the first batch of 5, 000 earmarked for Chipata and Lusaka.
The scheme will then be rolled out to Choma and Mansa.
He said the housing project will take 10 years to complete and that UG members will occupy the houses as tenants, with their monthly rentals going towards ownership of the houses over an agreed period.
Under the project, civil servants will be able to afford building decent houses for themselves while they are in service. We do not think anyone would object to joining such a scheme that guarantees one a house while in service.
Lack of decent housing is a frustrating and demotivating fact among workers especially that employers are not compelled by law to provide housing for their employees as in olden days.
For urban-based workers, the problem has been compounded by the failure by local authorities that in the past constructed houses for rent.
Local authorities lost their housing stock in the mid-1990s when the then President Frederick Chiluba directed them, including the government itself, to sell houses to sitting tenants.
Since then, local authorities have not embarked on any housing developing programmes to construct houses for rent as an income-generating venture.
Although institutions like the National Housing Authority (NHA) have tried to fill the void, their houses are beyond the reach of many workers.
Even mortgages under the Zambia National Building Society are hardly affordable for the average worker due to the high interest rates.
It is therefore encouraging that trade unions like UG are able to partner with a private developer like Collins Mutual Limited in the development of affordable housing for the union members.
Trade unions should not just be talking about salary increments but must go beyond and look out for the long-term benefits of their members.
We hope civil servants who will benefit from this “rent to buy” facility will ensure that they do not start defaulting in their payments.
Mr Kabisa noted that the country Zambia faces a housing deficit of 1.5 million units which is expected to rise to over 3.3 million units by 2030. “The current housing supply is therefore far less than what is required to resolve the shortfall.”
We agree with Mr Kabonga when he says the partnership between the company and UG is a game changer in home ownership for it will benefit many civil servants, to own decent and affordable houses in well established residential areas.
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