Dr. Ignatius Chombo, Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing for the Republic of Zimbabwe. He is committed to housing for all., a photo by Pan-African News Wire File Photos on Flickr.
‘We will achieve housing for all'
Sunday, 13 October 2013 02:57
Zimbabwe Sunday Mail
He was recently re-appointed Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and has been accused in some circles of being corrupt and trigger happy when it comes to dealing with
MDC-T-dominated councils. Dr Ignatius Chombo, (IC) in this interview with The Sunday Mail Reporter Tinashe Farawo (TF) talks about his ministry, housing challenges and responds to claims that he is corrupt.
Below are excerpts of the interview.
TF: Minister, you have been reappointed to this portfolio that is almost similar to the previous ministerial position you used to hold. What do you think has made you stay within the same portfolio for that long?
IC: First and foremost I want to thank His Excellency President Mugabe for appointing me as his Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing.
This is an honour that my family will cherish for eternity. It is always a great pleasure to serve under a great leader in the mould of President Mugabe - a man who has dedicated his entire life to serving mankind.
I draw my strength for commitment from him. It’s his leadership style that gives me impetus to work 10 to 12 hours a day serving the people of Zimbabwe in this portfolio. I also wish to commend the President for his wisdom of merging the three ministries of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing into one entity.
The department of Local Government provides leadership in the governance of all 92 local authorities. In turn, the local authorities are the nation’s planning and housing regulatory authorities.
They are also key providers of houses and social amenities. The three departments have expertise by way of providing architects, engineers, builders etc, so the merging of these ministries was a well-thought-out idea.
TF: One of the major challenges that you face in your portfolio is that some legislators are attending Parliamentary sessions whilst standing, while others have resorted to seating in the public gallery. What is the position with regards the urgent construction of a new Parliament building?
IC: The Parliament of Zimbabwe’s membership has increased significantly from 80 in 1980 to 210 last time around plus 60 through proportional representation. So the space we have was designed for between 80 and 100 people.
Now it is supposed to contain more than double that number and obviously it is very difficult.
Even if you look at the public gallery, it can only contain a certain number of people. The public gallery is not configured to provide effective communication with members of the Parliament seating on the shore.
We are way behind in terms of providing appropriate and adequate space for our parliamentarians. Talks, of course, for a new Parly (building) are in progress. The site has been decided and it’s Mt Hampden. I think Government is working on the financing part of it as everything has been approved and that which is left are the funds.
TF: How much is needed for the construction of the new parliament?
IC: I think the building alone should cost about US$400 million.
TF: There have been reports that Government is contemplating making Mt Hampden the new “capital city”. What is the position on this matter?
IC: The capital city of Zimbabwe is Harare and it remains so, I don’t know of any changes. But what is happening is that when you put up a new Parly you have to cater for the 400 or so MPs and senators, their staff, Speaker, President of the Senate, the Clerk of Parliament and staff. The moment you look at that team alone you realise that we will have to build other ancillary around Parliament to serve that community.
Accommodation for MPs will have to be nearby so that they don’t travel long distances . . . this means we have to build hotels, flats, dining rooms, restaurants to serve them, so automatically there is a genesis.
It becomes a genesis of a new city so as we develop Mt Hampden we should not develop it the way the city of Harare is developing. Harare is too crowded. We want to take advantage of new technologies, new methodologies, so that we look much greener than what the city of Harare is, so it will be really an area, whether they call it a suburb, which will be totally different, we want it to be trafficable, to be as green as possible and we want it to comply with all international standards.
However, we can’t put up a new area which is in short supply of water, where there are power outages so we have to think ahead, to think in advance, so that we put up a structure that is really of world standard, modern and relevant.
When are these projects going to start? Is there an investor who is willing to partner with Government?
For the Parliament building, the Government is negotiating with a friendly foreign government which has shown interest in funding the project or donating the Parliament to us but negotiations are still going on.
TF: Government has spoken about turning most peri-urban farms into residential areas, and Zanu-PF spoke about providing more than a million low-cost houses. How is that going to happen and when is it going to start?
IC: We have put up a team of engineers, experts to look on the modalities for all the 92 local authorities. This is to determine how much serviced land can cost and how many houses are likely to be there.
I think we will come up with an answer in the next 10 days or so whereby we announce a major housing delivery programme. We will announce how many housing units are going to available in Harare, Mutare, Marondera, Mutorashanga . . . the whole country. But we also have to be careful.
We cannot continue to build houses on single storey. We also need to look at densification so we will ask that same team to also look at densification, so that we have got two or three-storey houses on the same land.
TF: What are you going to do about the mushrooming of illegal and unplanned houses in some local authorities throughout the country?
IC: I say that the law of the land must take its course on those unplanned structures. Yes, we want things to be properly planned.
TF: Some of these structures are being set up by housing co-operatives that are registered. How do you intend to handle this?
IC: Yes, we will be putting in a team to look at all these measures to make sure that the co-operatives operating throughout the country are properly organised, that they do not charge beneficiaries for the stands because there is no need for a co-operative to sell anybody a stand.
The co-operatives do not own the land. It is the State which owns the land. We are not going to allow anyone to build a house on undesignated land . . . that Government is very clear about that.
We want towns and cities that are properly planned. We need to know where roads are going, refuse is going to be deposited, water, sewer lines and everything that is going to be mandatory because we don’t want our houses to be built in any haphazard manner.
In Chitungwiza, where some people have been allocating themselves land illegally, we have asked the city to take appropriate action, to make sure that the situation is corrected very quickly. And I think also sometimes some people are too anxious so they tend to jump onto any piece of land that is available.
We have instituted a plan, it’s yet to be announced, whereby the person who is buying first and foremost must know the cost of servicing that stand. When you know the cost, you decide how long you want to pay - one year, two years? You pay according to your capacity.
We will allow you to start building whilst you are paying the rest. Secondly, you need to pay to a registered bank in Zimbabwe, not to the chairman of a co-operative, not to a developer. When you pay to the bank, for “project A”, the bank will pay the developer for servicing after a certificate has been signed by the chairman of the group, by the bank itself , if satisfied, and by said the local authority agreeing that the Town and Country Planning Act has been subscribed to.
Then and only then can a developer be paid for the certificate of putting up a road. After that the stands will all be serviced because we all now know the cost of servicing them.
But the bank also will be eager to push in money so as to finish the project quickly because the bank will control the lease and the issue of title deeds to the beneficiaries.
But there is another advantage, if “client A” elects to quit and go home to the countryside, that means what he or she has invested, say $3 000, the bank will pull out $3 000 plus interest and give it to her. Then another buyer brings in US$3 000 plus interest and fits in and carries on.
So it becomes now professionally managed just like a mortgage. Now this is the missing component that we have now added in. But we are officially going to announce it in 10 to 14 days, to make sure that all co-operatives across the country are run on that model.
And banks will be the ones to control the moneys, but professionals will be the ones to put up the roads, water and sewer. And the chairman of the co-operative in conjunction with all others, they will agree that the job has been done satisfactorily.
TF: Is there a name for this model since it’s new?
IC: It’s not really new but it’s just the right thing to do. We have not yet given it but my perm sec (permanent secretary) is pondering on a name. We are toying up with a few names that’s why I said mandibvunza at the wrong time, dai mandibvunza end of next week, mostly likely on Thursday.
TF: Recently, Harare City secured a US$144 million loan from China for water reticulation.
Does this mean after completion of the project water will be coming out of every tap in Harare?
IC: Not at all. Harare needs at least $1 billion to rectify all its water-related problems, at least.
However, the US$144m loan will go a long way to do the following: It’s going to renew all the pumps in the city, pumps which have been with us for the past 55 years, they’ve done us a service but they are now finished.
Now there will be better pumping, we will have more water than we are having now without adjusting anything.
But it comes with its own problems: one, when you pump in water at high pressure, very efficient there, the pumps are not efficient, so we will get more water bursts.
So it is important that we adjust, and we also find money to fix the pipes here so that the new pumps are not a source of our more problems. We need additional money to make sure that we do a perfect job. This is good and we are happy but it’s not enough.
We also need to make sure that once water has been pushed and there is no electricity all the water does not drift back into the lake. So there is quite a lot that needs to be done. Well, it will improve but it will not solve the water problems.
TF: What is Government’s position regarding the former Prime Minister Mr Morgan Tsvangirai’s home in Highlands. Is he going to retain the property?
IC: He has shown interest in purchasing that house and he is free to exercise that right.
TF: But what is the position now?
IC: I really don’t know. I don’t know whether it has been evaluated or not to see what its current value is. At the moment I really don’t have anything to say. The policy is clear that he can buy if he wishes to buy . . . I understand he’s in Nigeria
TF: What is the position regarding former ministers and deputy ministers who were occupying Government houses?
IC: I am sure they were given normal notices to vacate because the Government no longer needs them. They have to move so that others can also occupy them but nobody has really come to me expressing reservations about moving out so I don’t think there are problems on that front.
TF: What is the latest on the Government property in Cape Town that was set to be auctioned after some white former commercial farmers won a court ruling?
IC: No, my understanding is that you cannot take a property that belongs to another country. It is protected by diplomatic protocol, and I have not heard anything contrary to that. I think it’s still our property
TF: What is going to happen to MDC-T mayors and councillors who were suspended by their party? Will they continue to serve?
IC: The MDC-T cannot have a mayor fired. In terms of Article 278 Page 109 of the new Constitution, paragraph 2 provides for the establishment of an independent tribune to exercise functions of removing from office mayors, chairpersons and councillors but any such removal only on the grounds of five things
1) inability to perform the functions of their office, due to mental or physical incapacity
2) gross incompetence
3) gross misconduct
4) conviction of an offence, dishonesty, corruption or abuse of office
5) willful violation of law, including local authority by law.
And paragraph 3 says a mayor, a chairperson of a local authority does not vacate his or her office except in accordance with this section. The MDC councillors who are illegally being accused of having voted for Zanu-PF cannot be dismissed from council for anything other than dishonesty involving council . . . the law is very clear. Refusing to obey Tsvangirai’s instructions that you must vote for so and so when you go into chambers is not an offence that calls for the firing of a mayor.
TF: Over the years, the MDC-T have been accusing you of protecting their corrupt councillors in some local authorities. What is your comment?
IC: The problem is they went to the Press to complain that I am not dismissing councillors whom they found guilty of corruption. I wrote to them asking them to tell me what it is exactly they did.
They did not even write a single letter to me up to today. I cannot act when I am not given information. They are good at talking in the Press. Let them show you the letters that they have written to us but, more importantly, they cannot fire a councillor because they refused to vote for Mr X as a mayor.
That’s not an offence. Why am I voting if you are going to instruct me on whom to vote for?
I might as well give you my ballot so you can cast it. It is contrary to the democracy that they preach every day.
And it is contrary to the democratic values which President Mugabe and Zanu PF stand for, and which MDC-T and its handlers don’t like. They practice selective democracy, and in Zanu-PF we even go out of our way to enforce democracy. We fought for this democracy and we’re going to defend it.
TF: Some MDC-T officials and sections of the media have accused you of being corrupt and using your office to amass personal wealth. What is your response to these allegations?
IC: It is true that elements within MDC-T supported by the hostile foreign-funded media came up with these malicious, unfounded and politically motivated accusations against me. All the allegations they paid reporters to publish were unfounded and could not be substantiated.
They have involved several crime agencies who have found no wrong- doing in my conduct as a public officer.
In fact, it is the MDC-T councillors who have gone on a looting spree throughout the country’s local authorities claiming that, “mbudzi inodya payakasungirirwa.”
Even the MDC-T council led by former mayor Muchadeyi Masunda set up a bogus and illegal committee to look at all land issues handled by the City of Harare.
The City of Harare handles 2 000 and 3 000 land issues per year and this illegal committee looked into Chiyangwa and Chombo’s land purchases.
This witchhunt failed to prove that I did anything wrong, it was clear that they were on a fishing expedition, they had an agenda to tarnish my image. I am a successful commercial farmer thanks to the land reform programme and I survive on the sales I do on the farm.
I will challenge anyone with evidence of corruption or any wrongdoing on my part to come forward. Kana chipikiri chemunhu handina kumbotora.
People in the MDC-T took my mission to defend ratepayers as a war against a political party so they had to look everywhere to find anything against me as a person but they failed. If MDC-T has a case against me they were going to be the happiest people but they don’t have evidence, it was just a smear campaign.
I am as happy as a fish that some of their thieves were flushed out of our local authorities. The social malcontents were removed, let them tell me one thing, not two, that I have done wrong. Let them come out and say Chombo has stolen this or that
TF: Thank you, Minister, for your time
IC: My pleasure.
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