LETTICIA MAGOMBO
National Housing and Social Amenities Minister, Daniel Gware, has assured owners of stands at the Urban Development Corporation (UDCORP)’s housing project, Knockmalloch that the pieces of land will be handed over to them soon.
The housing development, located 38 kilometres along Harare-Bulawayo road, comprising 2026 residential stands, institutional, commercial and high rise accommodation, began in 2017.
There have been delays in the distribution of these stands despite the process having been earmarked to be completed in 2019.
Garwe said the delay in distribution the stands was a result of miscellaneous behavior from land barons that the ministry had been working swiftly to amend.
“The project in Knockmalloch began in 2017 and people were given stands. However illegal land barons, whose names I will not mention were found trying to steal money from people. But, when this Ministry was formed we were given the power to see how UDCORP works and once we had that information we stopped all operations that were in progress. We then came together with the new board of directors led by Caleb Makwiranzou. There is now restructuring taking place at UDCORP at management level. There is now a new CEO as well as senior officers coming in,” Garwe said.
He also reassured those that had been allocated stands that these were still available to them.
“Very soon all that were promised stands will be addressed. Government as well as the UDCORP will be communicating with you through this ministry to ensure that you can now be given your stands.
“So don’t lose hope the stands and the land are there, they are not going anywhere.”
Knockmalloch will be part of a larger scheme by the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities to clear the national housing backlog which Garwe said has reached the 2 million mark.
