Harare — Zimbabwe needs more than 500 000 new houses and the Government is committed to formulating policies that ensure people are provided with homes.

Vice President Joice Mujuru said yesterday the construction industry needs to develop indigenous and sustainable systems that meet the needs of Zimbabweans while Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai called for more action in meeting housing targets.

Vice President Mujuru said attention should be given to rural areas where the housing standards needed upgrading by devising appropriate policies and strategies that attract investment in rural housing.

Addressing a one-day symposium, under the theme "An Integrated Approach to Sustainable Housing and Social Amenities Delivery in Zimbabwe", VP Mujuru urged local authorities to assume the lead role in housing delivery.

The symposium was held to develop a plan of action for immediate implementation by all stakeholders, to identify and reflect on issues affecting housing and social amenities delivery and, to prepare for the national housing convention to be held later this year.

"As a Government, we assure you of our total support as your facilitator by formulating enabling policies and removing the current bottlenecks in the housing delivery system. Our overall objective should remain that of developing an indigenous sustainable housing delivery system that is locally driven and meets the specific needs of the Zimbabwean people," she said.

VP Mujuru said local authorities should always update their housing needs and partner private developers in the provision for housing.

Councils were also urged to regularly review their land allocation and project approval procedures with a view to reducing waiting time.

VP Mujuru said given the shortage of funding, the public-private sector partnership model could be used to overcome this hurdle.

"I wish to urge local land developers and financial institutions to explore and exploit the abundant opportunities in the housing sector by partnering with foreign investors who have the requisite capital and technology," she said.

The partnerships have to recognise the Government's broader policy of indigenisation. She criticised some unscrupulous land developers who took advantage of desperate home seekers by swindling them out of their cash.

"This must be stopped. I, therefore, task the relevant ministries to urgently come up with legislation that will protect society from such malpractices," she said.

She touched on the critical deficit of social amenities in both rural and urban areas, saying houses were not enough without the requisite social infrastructure such as schools, clinics, churches, community halls and libraries.

Closing the symposium, Prime Minister Tsvangirai promised that his office would monitor the implementation of all the recommendations and that all set targets were achieved.

"We should quickly move away from the orientation that conferences such as this one are merely talk shows or tea parties to real business. We have to work if we really need change in the housing sector," he said in a speech read on his behalf by Public Works Minister Theresa Makone.

He said private-public partnerships should be accompanied by appropriate safety nets for the poor.

The PM gave the example of employer-assisted housing schemes in which employers can help their employees through loan guarantees, soft loans and/or building of houses for their employees either for rent or rent-to-buy.

PM Tsvangirai urged local authorities to review land allocation practices following complaints of corruption that have resulted in the allocation of land to undeserving people.

"We have noted with concern projects that are left uncompleted because tenders were awarded to undeserving contractors," he said.

He said land developers should also cater for low-income groups as opposed to concentrating on high-income groups in plush suburbs.

PM Tsvangirai said the calibre of some managers in both the private and public sectors left a lot to be desired.

"We need competent managers that can develop appropriate management systems that will minimise leakages, corruption and maximise output. It does not make sense to continue pouring funds into an institution which is often making losses without finding out where the leakages are in the system," he said.

He said local authorities with bankable project proposals would be funded when funds become available.

National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Fidelis Mhashu said the 542 630 national housing backlog was an underestimate because the figures were collated from only 29 urban centres with the exclusion of small towns and growth points.

He said Government did not have accurate data on rural housing. Minister Mhashu said Zimbabwe should devise sustainable housing finance systems that are appropriate to the country's needs.

The symposium, which was funded by UN-Habitat together with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities, brought together representatives from local authorities, donor agencies, private land developers, academics, housing co-operatives and officials from other Government ministries and departments.