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I feel greatly honoured to address you on the policies and road map of my new Ministry at this 5 th Biennial Congress of the Association of Rural District Councils of Zimbabwe. I am delighted by the fact that this year's theme 'Economic Policies and Strategies for Rural Investment and Infrastructural Development' dovetails well with the policy thrust of my Ministry and the overall rationalization and development orientation of Government activities.

Policy Thrust of Ministry

The mission of my Ministry is

Quote "To facilitate and promote rural development through the provision of sound and affordable housing and social amenities such as transport, health, sport, recreation and cultural infrastructure for use by people in the communal and resettlement areas" Unquote.

The foregoing mission must be understood in the context of the fact that housing and social amenities in communal and resettlement areas have not been developed or provided to improve the quality of life of rural people. This arose out of the skewed historical development which was largely in favour of urban areas. In this regard, improvement in the housing and social amenities needs of people in rural areas will

enhance their quality of life and lead to greater productivity, particularly in the resettlement areas. The social amenities include facilities such as roads, bridges, dams, clean water, dip tanks, health centres and dispensaries, sporting facilities, community halls, creches, day care centers, postal and banking services and factory shells.

Collaboration With Rural District Councils

As delegates will appreciate, this policy thrust requires the collaboration and support of Rural District Councils since the initiatives my Ministry is bringing will be implemented in areas under the control of Rural District Councils. To this end, the Ministry will ensure that its activities are in conformity with the ward, district and provincial development plans. As part of the first stage to ensure that the policy thrust of the Ministry is fully understood, I have already held a briefing with Provincial Governors and Resident Ministers to explain the rationale for the formation of the Ministry and how its programmes will be implemented.

Following the above briefing, the Ministry will hold workshops in each province with Provincial Governors, Provincial Administrators, Provincial Chairmen, Chairpersons of Provincial Development Committees, Heads of Provincial Government Departments, District Administrators, Chief Executive Officers of Rural District Councils and other stakeholders. The main purpose of the workshops is to explain the policy thrust of the Ministry and ensure that its activities are within the framework of each Provincial Development Plan. On a related note, it is anticipated that the workshops at district level will, among other things, help to harmonize ward and district development plans with those of the Ministry in terms of the framework provided by Sections 57, 58, 59 and 60 of the Rural District Councils Act. It is therefore of fundamental importance to recognize that the relationship between the Ministry and Rural District Councils should be collaborative and complementary and should not in any way be viewed as competitive. In fact, the Ministry will work through the structures of Rural District Councils.

To help implement its programmes on the ground, the Ministry has deliberately established the post of District Housing and Social Amenities Officer to collaborate with local councilors and Rural District Councils to, among other things, set up building brigades, renovate and erect homesteads and social amenities infrastructure at village and ward level. For the remaining four months of this year, the Ministry will construct at least two model homesteads and social amenities infrastructural facilities in each province.

Housing Policy

The Ministry's housing policy is guided by the need to formulate sounc and affordable rural housing strategies at household, business centre, rural business centre and growth point levels. The identification of the sites and actual implementation will be done in collaboration with the Department of Physical Planning, Rural District Councils, traditiona leaders and other stakeholders. In communal areas, this will be done by, among other measures, improving already existing structures an( building new ones.

resettlement areas, on the other hand, it has been realized that Al rmers need considerable assistance from Government after making imense sacrifices in leaving their traditional communal lands. This sans that they cannot be self-reliant in their formative years. To this id, it is proposed that the building of homesteads in Al resettlement eas and communal areas be done through a grant from the National iral Housing Fund. In both cases, the purchase of materials and ection of houses will be done through the grant. The Ministry will 3rk in collaboration with local councilors to enlist building brigades Dm each ward to provide the much needed labour. It is important, >wever, to point out that the housing grants will not be confined to e Al resettlement areas but will extend to the commercial areas as

le proposed National Rural Housing Fund will play a critical role in the

.n, .-

.ovision of housing and social amenities infrastructure. Its purpose ill be

Quote "To meet the cost of developing rural housing and social amenities infrastructure in communal and resettlement areas of Zimbabwe; advance grants to individuals for the purpose of servicing, constructing and renovating housing properties and to meet the cost of research into appropriate housing design and delivery" Unquote.

ne proposed housing model to be followed at household level will Dnsist of a house with two bedrooms, a lounge and a round thatched additional kitchen or a three bedroomed house with a lounge and )und kitchen. In both cases, a properly constructed blair toilet icility must be erected to guarantee public health and safe waste isposal.

elegates to this Congress will appreciate that A2 farmers fall under le commercial farmers category and that their resource base is ronger than that of their Al counterparts. In some cases, they zcupied farms already endowed with infrastructure like housing, dip inks, irrigation and tobacco curing facilities. Given such a scenario, it proposed that strategies for assisting those A2 farmers who did not :cupy any houses on their farms be done on a cost-recovery basis 5ing approved plans.

is an established fact that there is a big problem in the provision of Dusing for civil servants like teachers, nurses and AREX officers in Dmmunal, Al and A2 resettlement areas. This compromises service ^livery and encourages high staff turn over. In light of this, my inistry will construct or renovate houses for civil servants through the jral Capital Development Fund on a cost recovery basis.

le strategies for building and renovating housing at the business ?ntre, rural business centre and growth point levels will, among other easures, involve comprehensive planning in collaboration with Rural istrict Councils, the Department of Physical Planning and other akeholders. It also entails enhanced delivery of stands and durable jt affordable structures. In this regard, deliberate research needs to be conducted into appropriate materials and structures that are low cost, durable and readily available.

Social Amenities Policy

The thrust of the Social Amenities policy is to promote and facilitate communal and resettlement development through the provision of adequate transport, health, sport, recreation, cultural and other amenities like postal and banking services.

(a) Transport

Regarding transport in the communal areas, the major-challenges faced by people include the operators' inability to meet demand and provide reliable, safe, efficient and comfortable passenger transport services. In the same vein, as Government consolidates the implementation of the Al and A2 agricultural reforms, the Ministry will collaborate with Rural District Councils and relevant line Ministries to ensure that the local transport and accessibility needs of resettled people are met. In the Al resettlement model, for example, the policy interventions will seek to address bottlenecks which hinder access to facilities such as market centres, clinics, water sources, grinding mills and schools.

(b) Sport and Recreation Facilities

i On Sports and Recreation facilities, the Ministry realizes that AI and A2 resettlement areas present a major challenge as sports and recreation facilities are virtually non-existent. It will therefore give priority to the resettlement areas in the provision of such services. In the communal areas, the Ministry will collaborate with Rural District Councils, line Ministries and other stakeholders to renovate existing sports facilities, for example, football and netball pitches, volleyball, tennis courts, swimming pools and basket ball courts. It will also build more community halls, day care centers and creches at business centres, rural service centres and district service centres.

) Health Care Facilities

Turning to health care facilities, the Ministry will work closely with Rural District Councils, line Ministries and other stakeholders to ensure that clinics, health centres, referral centres and district hospitals are well located in communal areas. On the other hand, unlike communal areas, the majority of resettlement areas lack infrastructure for the provision of adequate health care. However, it is vital that resettled farmers, their families and workers are provided with accessible health facilities in order to improve agricultural productivity as most of the A1 and A2 enterprises are highly labour intensive.

In this regard, my Ministry is of the view that every village should be provided with a dispensary manned by a nurse aide. Its actual location could be done in liaison with the Ministry of Health and Child Welfare, RDCs, councilors and traditional leaders. Patients with acute ailments could be referred to clinics or health centers which should be located at or near the rural service centres. The erection of the above-mentioned facilities is urgent as most communities in resettlement areas are using disused farm buildings as clinics. The Ministry will also place emphasis on the building of protected toilets and water supplies.

) Provision of Educational Facilities

The Ministry will work with Rural District Councils, the Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture and other stakeholders to improve the quality of educational infrastructure in communal areas. This will be done by, among other measures, constructing new classrooms and renovating existing ones, constructing educational

resource centres, electrifying classrooms and teachers' houses and promoting computer literacy and Information Communication Technology (ICT) by pupils, teachers and the community. Strategies that will be used in the resettlement areas include those cited above as well as constructing and renovating teachers' houses, giving incentives for teachers by providing them with good accommodation and promoting access to education by adults through the use of existing infrastructural facilities.

>) Water and Ecological Management

On water and ecological management, the Ministry will work with the Rural District Council Natural Resources Conservation Committee in terms of Sections 61 and 62 of the Rural District Councils Act, relevant line Ministries and other stakeholders to ensure that water and ecological resources (flora and fauna) are properly managed in both communal and resettlement areas to avoid an imbalance in the eco-system. In this regard, woodlots and tree planting programmes will be vigorously pursued. Special focus will be directed at empowering newly resettled farmers to properly manage their environment with regard to forestry conservation, soil erosion, siltation, game and so on.

f) Tourism and Cultural Facilities

With regard to the provision of tourism and cultural facilities, the Ministry will liaise with relevant line Ministries, Rural District

Councils, local councilors and traditional leaders to, among other things, identify and restore sites of historical and cultural importance to the nation. Emphasis will also be placed on promoting and conserving wild life, promoting tourist visits to such sites, identifying and establishing culture houses and setting up mechanisms to safeguard sites and artifacts from vandalism.

g) Rural Energy Provision

The Ministry will actively collaborate with relevant line Ministries, institutions such as SIRDC and Rural District Councils to enhance the rural electrification programme and other power generation

technologies in communal and resettlement areas. These include micro-and mini-hydros and other renewable energy technologies that can easily use the existing grid extensions to complement the ZESA grid. The alternative forms include wind, solar PV and biomass.

Community Radio. Telephone and Mobile Networks

The Ministry regards effective communication as the cornerstone of development in communal and resettlement areas. To this end, it will liaise with the Broadcasting Authority of Zimbabwe under the Ministry of Information and Publicity, the Ministry of Transport and Communication, RDCs, councilors, chiefs and other stakeholders on how community radio can be incorporated. On the same note, the Ministry believes that business centres, rural service centers, district service centres, clinics, schools, administration centres, polling stations, chief's homesteads and other strategic centres critical for rural development should be provided with telephone, mobile networks, the internet and faxes to assist in the conveyance of information from one place to another. In this regard, the internet has proved to be a powerful tool that can be used by local farmers to market their produce.

Conclusion

Allow me Mr. President to conclude by stating that the mandate of my Ministry is to change the outlook of our rural areas through the orovision of decent affordable accommodation and the

provision of social amenities, it is in recognition of the fact that Zimbabwe has enjoyed 25 years of peace and tranquility under the leadership of the present government that it is only proper and befitting that in those areas where 75% of our people reside, issues such as housing, provision of social amenities and other infrastructure be addressed appropriately in recognition of the immense contribution made by people in the rural areas.

I thank you.