The low cost housing scheme in Kadoma where 10 model houses have been constructed for the First Lady Grace Mugabe, has been hailed for providing surrounding communities with access to safe drinking water.

Communities around Pixie Combie housing scheme are not connected to Kadoma’s water system and have to rely on shallow wells.

The project under which about 1 300 low cost houses would be constructed, has seen the drilling of a borehole with pumps and 10 000 litre water reservoirs.

This is benefiting more than 100 families who used to walk distances of up to 5km to nearby Rimuka suburb.

Pixie Combie Phase 2 being developed by Macsherp housing developers, has a plan of drilling a borehole for every 100 houses as back up to the council supplied water when it is eventually connected. Pixie Combie phase 1 and 2 are not connected to the main line linking Golden Valley Mine and Kadoma.

Mr Wilson Mutsinje welcomed the decision by the project owner Jimayi Muduvuri to allow the community to draw water from the borehole which will pump water to the new houses.

“This project has come as a relief to us as a community because we had to walk long distances of up to 5km to get water and that mostly affected women and children,” said Mr Mutsinje.

“We have done the first phase of the project and we expect to start this month the main project, which includes 700 core houses similar to the ones built for the First Lady Dr Mugabe,” he said.

The 10 model core houses were inspected by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing officials in December and were approved.

The housing project will be fully serviced before people move in under a rent-to-buy arrangement.

Muduvuri said the community had the right to safe drinking water and they would continue to use tap water from boreholes.

“If we can make a difference in the community the better. This is what Zim-Asset is all about and we are glad we are helping communities have access to safe drinking water in the face challenges of water-borne diseases such as typhoid which are being reported in other parts of the country,” said Muduvuri.

He said the model houses now awaited handover to the First Lady and commissioning.

At least 20 stands were given to the First Lady and partners came on board to complement the developer in building the 10 model houses. The completed core houses include a bedroom, kitchen, bathroom and a toilet.

The scheme will offer flexible payment terms of up to three years with people paying as little as $80 per month after meeting the cost of the land, which has been pegged at around $5 000.

Labour and material costs will drive the total cost to around $9 000.

The project mostly targets low income earners, including civil servants. State Media