Leonard Ncube, leonard.ncube@chronicle.co.zw
GOGO Gertrude Masilani (79) from Victoria Falls has been diligently paying for her housing waiting list form since 2004, despite being unemployed and relying on vending for survival.
Over the past two decades, Gogo Masilani, along with more than 7 000 home seekers, submitted their applications at the council’s housing office, hoping for a chance to secure a housing stand.
The Victoria Falls City Council faces a significant challenge with a housing backlog exceeding 18 000, exacerbating the national housing backlog of over 1,5 million.
The city, attaining status in 2019, has witnessed a surge in housing demand. To address this, the council initiated the Kazungula Housing Scheme, receiving applications from eager home seekers for vetting and allocation.
The week-long application process saw the council housing office buzzing with activity, accompanied by long queues and increased business for photocopying services.
To streamline the process, the council categorised applicants based on waiting list dates, ensuring transparency in the allocation process.
Responding to concerns, the local authority management acknowledged the land scarcity issue and pledged efforts to secure more land for future housing projects.
“The council has registered over 18 000 people on the waiting list across all densities and more are still registering. The local authority has exhausted its available land bank and it will continue engaging Central Government and other local authorities in the quest to have more land allocated for future housing schemes,” said the council.
The Kazungula Housing Scheme introduces a “beneficiary pays model,” requiring a minimum deposit for high and medium-density stands, with preferences given to first-time home seekers. Beneficiaries will be required to pay a minimum deposit of US$3 000 for high density and US$5 000 for medium density as an initial deposit. The remaining balance shall be payable over a period of 12 months.
However, anxiety permeates among some applicants, citing past challenges due to a lack of pay slips. Many, like Thulani Mkhwebu, express hope for consideration, emphasising their ability to pay despite the absence of formal income documentation.
“I applied to be on the waiting list in 1998 and I never defaulted paying for it although I missed out on the previous schemes because I had no pay slip hence I was never invited for interviews. I applied again this time and I pray I get considered because even if I don’t have a pay slip I can afford to pay,” said Mkhwebu.
Another home seeker, Sithembekile Sibanda said she inherited her late father’s waiting list form and paid for it from 2002 until 2021 when she was told that she would not be able to get a stand through it as she is above 18 years. She then applied for hers in 2021 and she is not eligible for the stands.
There are scores of businesspersons who told Chronicle on condition of anonymity that they missed on previous schemes because of lack of pay slips but they have the capacity to pay for the housing stands.
One home seeker said he was bitter.
“Mine is from 1999 but I have been omitted several times previously. I don’t know where I am getting it wrong but I applied again this time hoping for luck. My worry is that I started staying here as a young boy and I have even built a home in Dete so that makes me a local. I am bitter because I have been paying for a stand for more than 20 years and now I am more than 50 years old and still renting,” he said.
As the vetting process unfolds, some individuals share unique circumstances, such as inheritances and prior repossessions, adding complexity to the housing allocation dynamics. The council emphasises transparency and fairness in prioritising applicants with offer letters from previous schemes.
Kenneth Mariridza of Hlalani Kuhle said he got on the waiting list for medium density in 2000 but decided not to submit an application because he benefited from the high density before.
According to the country’s housing laws, a person cannot be allocated more than one stand in the same density but can have one in each density.
Source: Land crunch in Victoria Falls (29/01/2024)
