Harare, (New Ziana) – The government has intensified efforts to unlock affordable housing finance and restore order in the country’s housing sector, with Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities, Professor Paul Mavima, calling for a comprehensive national housing finance strategy that brings together government, banks, building societies and private developers.
Speaking during a stakeholder engagement meeting on the National Housing Financing Strategy with private sector players in Harare on Thursday, Mavima said the country could no longer afford fragmented approaches to housing delivery, warning that expensive mortgages, governance failures and land speculation were undermining efforts to provide decent housing for Zimbabweans.
He said the meeting marked the beginning of a broader national dialogue aimed at crafting sustainable financing models for housing development under the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
“I’m very happy that we managed to convene this very first meeting. The idea was to get your consent as financial institutions, but also to get your suggestions as to how we can better deliver on national housing, especially with regard to the financial side of things.”
Mavima said plans were afoot to develop a National Housing Finance Strategy by the third quarter of this year, saying the framework must address both private housing finance and social housing for low-income citizens.
“My idea is maybe in the third quarter of this year, we should come up with a National Housing Finance Strategy. This should be a holistic strategy that looks at social housing because there is a section of our society who may not be able to afford housing if we take a laissez-faire approach,” he said.
Drawing lessons from regional examples, Mavima pointed to Kenya’s state-backed social housing programme as a model Zimbabwe could study to help move people from informal settlements into decent accommodation.
“Our colleagues from Kenya have done extremely well in the provision of social housing. They are moving people from informal settlements into decent housing constructed with state funding. We need to look at the feasibility of that in Zimbabwe,” he said.
He expressed concern over Zimbabwe’s mortgage structure, saying short repayment periods and high interest rates were making home ownership unattainable for ordinary citizens.
“You can’t have a mortgage for seven or eight years with very high interest rates. When I bought a house outside Zimbabwe, the interest rate was four percent and the mortgage period was 25 years. It was very comfortable,” he said.
Mavima challenged financial institutions to explain why mortgage financing remained restrictive and largely inaccessible to low-income earners, while also calling for the revival of the Housing Guarantee Fund, which previously enabled many Zimbabweans to secure mortgages through government-backed guarantees.
“We need to make sure that we return to normal operations in all aspects of our lives, including the housing finance sector,” he said.
Mavima also raised concern over soaring land prices, arguing that government land was often transferred cheaply to private developers before being resold at unaffordable prices.
“Urban state land is available and we need appropriate ways of parceling it out. Sometimes government gives this land to private developers at a very low cost, but once it is in private hands, it becomes very expensive,” said Mavima.
He proposed stricter pricing controls and governance mechanisms to ensure public land benefits ordinary Zimbabweans rather than speculative interests.
Mavima also condemned the continued construction of houses on wetlands, describing it as evidence of a governance breakdown at local authority level.
“If it’s corruption, let’s deal with it. Let’s make sure our local authorities are doing the right thing so that we are protecting our Zimbabwe,” he said.
Mavhim stressed that housing remained central to national development and social dignity.
“Housing is not just about shelter; it is about dignity, security and the foundation upon which our communities thrive,” he said.
He said NDS2 seeks to expand access to affordable housing, strengthen partnerships between government and private players, promote innovative financing mechanisms and ensure housing delivery contributes to economic empowerment and social cohesion.
“We recognize that the Ministry cannot achieve these goals in isolation. Your expertise, resources and innovative ideas are indispensable,” he said.
Mavima urged stakeholders to actively participate in the upcoming National Housing Investment and Exhibition Conference, which the Ministry intends to announce soon, saying it would serve as a platform to attract investment and accelerate housing delivery across the country.
“With unity of purpose, innovation and commitment, we can ensure that every Zimbabwean has access to decent housing,” he said.
New Ziana
