Assessing Zimbabwean local authorities' capacity to deliver affordable housing: challenges and opportunities. case of Kwekwe city council.

Abstract

For more than a decade now, Zimbabwean local authorities have been battling to deliver affordable housing to the low income earners in society. This situation has resulted in a mismatch between supply and demand ratios hence the need to assess the capacity of Zimbabwean local authorities in delivering affordable housing. In the wake of insurmountable challenges resulting from rapid urbanisation, economic constrains and other environmental factors, local authorities are finding it difficult to bring sanity in their areas of jurisdiction. Manifestation of such challenges has been reflected by households overcrowding, illegal settlements, and substandard housing conditions to mention but a few. Literature review on the subject of affordable housing confirms that Zimbabwe like other developing countries is still struggling to address the issue with more than two million people estimated to be on the housing waiting list. Also given through literature review are the strategies that some SADC countries are using in an effort to address the issue of affordable housing. To clearly examine the issue in the Zimbabwean context, Kwekwe City council is presented as a case study and information relating to the challenges and opportunities was obtained through quantitative and qualitative analysis. Results obtained through the use of interviews, questionnaires, observations however revealed the need to ‘think outside the box’ so as to come up with robust measures to ease the situation. This basically refers to the need for innovation and creativity. Although councils and central government have considered a number of interventions in an effort to reduce the housing backlog, most of these seem to be centred on profiteering rather than focusing on provision of affordable housing. While the term affordable can be debated to be relative per se, affordable housing in this context is being defined in relation to the levels of income of the majority of Zimbabweans as revealed by the survey. Realising that domestic shelter is a vital component for the foundation of a decent livelihood; local authorities are mandated to work out solutions that do not ignore the plight of the poor. It follows therefore that in order to complement ZimAsset`s set target of providing over 125 000 housing units by 2018, institutional capacity building should be underlined as key. As outlined in the ZimAsset blue print, the need for the judicious exploitation of both natural and human resources is given as one way of addressing the socioeconomic turmoil which include among other things decent and affordable housing. With full cognisance of various interventions that have been employed to address housing issues, emphasis should be drawn towards the plight of the low in society. As such, local authorities need to closely monitor housing projects and play a regulatory role in terms of housing costs. In spite of the aforementioned challenges, it has been realised that local authorities should play a leading role in the provision of affordable housing in their localities by exploring a variety of opportunities hence saving millions of people from impoverished conditions. This study also revealed the community for community participation in issues relating to the citizenry rather than treating them as mere passive participants. Through community participation a shared responsibility is instilled through idea sharing. Participation of all relevant stakeholders is thus necessary if the issue of housing is to be properly dealt with. Emphasis is also driven towards the need for policy reform measures in order to promote local economic development. Given reports of inconsistencies in the housing delivery system perpetrated by the scourge of corruption, the need for policy reform measures should be given special attention. In the same way, the need to review some of the legislative provisions causing a strain on the provision of housing should also be carefully considered. With a conducive socio-political environment, local economic development premised on Direct Foreign Investment (DFI) can be achieved hence the provision of decent and affordable housing.