Africa-Press – Mozambique. Under the commercialisation agreement signed on Monday by the Minister of Public Works, the Housing Development Fund and developer Charlestrong, the apartments in the second phase of the ‘Vila Olímpica’ can now be sold.
The 240 three-room apartments in the second phase of the Vila Olímpica project in Zimpeto on the outskirts of Maputo city cost 25,000 meticais monthly for 20 years, and are expected to be sold in the coming days.
The signing of the commercialisation agreement yesterday does not mean that the flats have just been finished. On the contrary, they have been waiting for occupants for over five years, raising some questions about the initial reason for which the flats were built.
Indeed, negotiations between the Housing Development Fund (FFH) and Charlestrong were still ongoing. The latter wanted to sell the units for US$180,000 cash, which, according to Minister João Machatine, “was impossible, considering the intended market”.
A compromise amount of US$85,000 was therefore agreed, but the Chinese Charlestrong wanted payment within four years, resulting in a monthly payment of 126,000 meticais. Faced with this impasse, the FFH was forced to subsidise the price by 30 percent.
The amount of 25,000 meticais monthly for a period of 20 years was finally settled on, leaving a total purchase price of six million meticais.
João Machatine thinks this is a fair price for the intended public, “especially since we see our fellow citizens paying the same amounts for houses in worse condition than those we have here”.
The intended market, according to the minister, is people who do not yet own homes. But the question arises, how is it to be known if someone already owns a residence or not? Machatine agrees that this is “difficult”, but says the means will be “to see if the candidate has obtained any housing through the FFH before”, such people being considered ineligible.
In fact, some people who have already bought houses with the help of the Housing Development Fund are not paying what they already owe. Debt currently stands at US$2.8 million, the equivalent to about 176.1 million meticais.
The outstanding amount, if the FFH had it, would be enough to “build 300 houses for the Renascer project”, a housing programme in Katembe intended for the most vulnerable in society.
The ceremony marking the beginning of the apartment sales also saw the inauguration of a police station, witnessed by the president of the Municipal Council of Maputo, Mayor Eneas Comiche.
By
Alfonso Chavo
