Government Fails To Finish Presidential Villas For SADC Leaders
The government has reportedly missed the deadline for completing the 18 state-of-the-art presidential villas in Mt Hampden, which were intended to host heads of state and government during the Southern African Development Community (SADC) summit scheduled for tomorrow, August 17.
Several dignitaries have already arrived in Harare for the summit, including Presidents Nangolo Mbumba of Namibia, Samia Suluhu Hassan of Tanzania, Lazarus Chakwera of Malawi, and Lesotho Prime Minister Samuel Ntsokoane Matekane.
In response to the villa delays, government officials have been urgently seeking accommodation for the leaders at three hotels in the capital.
According to NewsDay, a government source indicated that visiting leaders are likely to be housed at Hyatt Regency (formerly Meikles Hotel), Rainbow Towers, and Monomotapa Hotel (Crown Plaza). Said the source:
This is not the first time Zimbabwe has hosted a summit of that magnitude. We have hotels in the country that will accommodate VVIPs who are coming for the summit.
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The government engaged a Swiss company which brought in 500 workers and spent millions of dollars importing materials from the United Arab Emirates in a race to complete the villas before the summit.
The deputy chief secretary and national co-ordinator for flagship programmes and projects in the Office of the President and Cabinet, Amos Marawa, who is overseeing the construction of the villas, did not answer calls when contacted by NewsDay.
In May 2024, Marawa told the State media that 500 engineers from Mabetex Group, a Swiss civil engineering and construction company, will be complemented by 300 local artisans. He said back then:
And from the programme, they have told us a villa will take two days to erect. They will have six teams working in parallel
So, we are confident that they will be able to finish the whole process ahead of the summit. As I said, by mid-July, they should be able to hand us the keys and we will be ready to host our VVIPs when they come for the summit itself.
During the weekly post-Cabinet briefing on Wednesday, Minister of Information, Publicity, and Broadcasting Services Jenfan Muswere did not provide an update on the status of the presidential villas.
More: Pindula News
