CommuTalk Reporter
GWERU – The Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities Soda Zhemu has slammed the Senga Messengers Camp Housing Project contractor Pevimag for the continued slow pace of the project.
The four blocks of flats which commenced construction in February 2022, should have been completed by September of the same year but the project is at 40 percent more than two years down the line.
After taking stock of the project, Minister Zhemu said they were not happy with the way the project was progressing.
The minister said his ministry will have to find means of discussing with the contractor given that all the obligations they had on the project have been met.
“This project is not held back by funding, but by the contractor. It is the contractor that we have to discuss with and see how we can proceed because we have to achieve what we want to achieve,” Minister Soda said.
He said it was unfortunate that the project has not moved at the pace they would have expected especially with the efforts they made like diverting resources for the second phase to the project to progress.
“We expect the project to move and we cannot be stopped as government to achieve what we want to achieve, so we will have further discussions with the contractor to see how this project can move.
“All the problems and drawbacks we have encountered have to be attended to so that we make sure the project progresses.”
He said they embarked on this project to address acute housing deficit in the province.
He also said they will sit down and come up with new timelines since the target has not been realised.
The Ministry’s resident engineer Amanda Museti said the project was awarded to Pevimag in 2022 at an estimated cost of US$4,5 million and to date US$2 million has been paid.
She said Pevimag was expected to construct four-storey buildings to accommodate 64 families.
Another contractor, the Public Works department, was also expected to construct other four-storey buildings but the contract was terminated to commit funds to the first four blocks under Pevimag.
“To date they have managed to construct four blocks putting overall project at 40 percent,” she said.
Pevimag site foreman Victor Mavunga said they had stalled the project in March this year when their insurance bond expired and they have invoices which if paid by the ministry would continue the project.
The ministry’s chief director estates development and maintenance Kudzai Rimai said they would assist the contractor to acquire the insurance bond.
Treasury in past visits has come under fire for late disbursement of funds.
