The Zimbabwe Built Environment Trust has welcomed the approval of the Zimbabwe Construction Council Bill (2019), which paves the way for the establishment of the Zimbabwe Construction Industry Council (ZCIC), a body that is expected to keep in check unscrupulous building contractors preying on unsuspecting members of the public.
According to the Trust Chairman Eng. Martin Manuhwa the bill will align the contractors and the built environment to international best practices.
“The Zimbabwe Construction Industry Council bill is welcome. It will ensure that there is efficient registration of the local contractors and consultants and the registration will ensure that there is a quality check.
“Reservation for local work (worth) $ ZWL 1 billion is a welcome development to capacitate the industry and it will also build the local industry and create the desired infrastructure and employment.
“Once the bill is enacted, it will bring order in the sector and will also ensure the empowerment of local contractors,” he said.
He added that it is a great incentive for local growth and an instrument to register and control the infrastructure sector.
“This is a welcome development as it supports local content by recognising the current capacity of the local contractors and consultants. The ZCIC is a special piece of legislation that will boost the industry as it escalates infrastructure provision by local players. The bill will eliminate fly by night service providers as it will ensure quality through the registration and compliance to the building by-laws and regulations,” he added.
In a post cabinet meeting briefing yesterday, Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services Minister Monica Mutsvangwa said the ZCIC would play a watchdog role over contractors, who in the past have left many prospective home owners crying foul.
“This bill will go a long way in restoring sanity in the construction industry and providing recourse to the general public who more often than not are at the receiving end at the hands of unscrupulous contractors,” she said.
