BCC seeks investors in accommodation sector

BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) continues to face accommodation challenges and is calling upon potential investors to invest in the sector to address the situation, a senior official has said.

The city’s housing backlog is pegged at 115 000.

BCC economic development officer Mr Brian Hlongwane told Business Chronicle that the housing challenges were also a result of lack of town house development projects.

“At the moment, there is a serious shortage of accommodation for students at tertiary institutions particularly the National University of Science and Technology as well as lack of development of town houses.

“On the hotels’ side, we also have serious accommodation challenges. Sometimes visitors stay outside Bulawayo when they come to attend the Zimbabwe International Trade Fair and during that period they commute into the city. “So we are looking for investors to invest in that sub-sector,” he said. Mr Hlongwane said the city needs upmarket accommodation facilities to match the world standards. He said investors should correctly position themselves because the economy was on a rebound. “It is not a question of the economy being down but it is a question of investors positioning themselves correctly for the future. Things will not remain the same; our economy will emerge and everything will be all good,” he said. In June this year, BCC availed more than 5 000 housing stands in the city as the local authority moves towards addressing its ballooning housing backlog. BCC has also regularised 8 053 residential stands in Cowdray Park under the Hlalani Kuhle project to ease the accommodation burden. — @ Kiyaz_Cool