Maravi

Mashamba bemoans lack of political will to impact housing market

Mashamba bemoans lack of political will to impact housing market
By Namatama Mundia
Fri 30 Apr. 2010, 03:10 CAT

NATIONAL Council for Construction (NCC) executive director Dr Sylvester Mashamba has observed that the country lacks implementation and political will to make an impact on the housings market.

Making a submission to the parliamentary committee on local governance, housing and chiefs’ affairs on the housing situation in Zambia on Wednesday, Dr Mashamba said Zambia needed political will rather than a revised housing policy document if an impact on the housing market was to be made.

He urged the government to draw up an implementation plan and identify key implementing ministries, departments, agencies and other institutions, which should be held accountable to the people of Zambia for its subsequent implementation.

“Unless, we draw up an implementation plan for our revised housing policy paper, we risk falling in the same trap as before, of having very good policies, but with a very weak implementation plan/schedule and follow up action,” Dr Mashamba said.

He said the 1996 housing policy paper was recognised worldwide as a well-written piece of work but the policy framework’s main weakness was in its implementation.

Dr Mashamba said five per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP) reserved for housing should be proposed and thereafter strictly adhered to by the government if meaningful housing delivery is to be attained.

He said there were no accurate and up to date housing stock figures for the country but estimates projected from the 2000 census put Zambia’s total housing stock at about 1.8 million.

“The backlog of housing required to make today’s population is put at 1.5 million from 846,000 units recorded in the 2000 census,” Dr Mashamba said.

However, he said 70 per cent of most urban housing stock in the country were unplanned settlements. Dr Mashamba disclosed that 90 per cent of buildings were not designed by architects.

He said this in response to members of the committee who wanted to know if the council had been monitoring the sub-standard construction which was going on.
He also said the government had the right not to pay contractors for shoddy works.

“It’s disturbing, those contractors are paid despite doing shoddy works when in the contract it says you can only pay a contractor when satisfied with the work,” said Dr Mashamba.

Labels: HOUSING, SYLVESTER MASHAMBA

posted by MrK @ 12:45 PM