Prophet Magaya unveils 5 000 housing units in Bulawayo

By Dumisani Nyoni | Radio VOP |

Prophetic Healing and Deliverance (PHD) ministries founder, Walter Magaya on Wednesday launched a housing project in Bulawayo which aims to build 5000 housing units in the city as he continues to make inroads into the business world.

The ambitious project, which is part of his mega-housing plan to deliver over 90 000 houses countrywide for his church members in Zimbabwe and abroad, was attended by government officials and members of the local business community.

Officially commissioning the project, Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko who was represented by the minister of State in his office, Thabeth Kanengoni-Malinga, hailed the church for what he said was complementing government’s efforts to build 15 000 housing units by 2018 as stated in the economic blue-print, ZimAsset.

“The project will go a long way in alleviating accommodation problems in the city. As government, we are supporting this initiative which augurs well with our ZimAsset,” Kanengoni-Malinga said.

Bulawayo City Council (BCC) has over 110 000 on its housing backlog.

Also speaking at the event, Magaya said he will construct schools and shopping malls in the area which is located at Douglasdale, 15km outside the city centre, to enable beneficiaries to do business within their areas.

“We want to create a tourist attraction site here where people will come from other countries to see. We would also want to invite Bulawayo people, especially those in construction, to go to our offices and drop their papers there if they have anything to do with construction,” Magaya said.

In a seperate interview with RadioVOP soon after the event, Magaya said houses would be sold at much lower prices.

“It will be quite affordable to low income earners, and would be lower than most of these projects,” he said.

He added that they were determined to fulfil government’s economic blueprint Zim-Asset in providing infrastructure.

Magaya said he is also starting to build other houses in Harare, Mutare, Gweru and Kwekwe to enable his membership to benefit from their support which they have rendered to him in the last four years.

The Harare based prosperity preacher also said PHD would build 20 000 houses in Harare and Mutare, 3 000 in Midlands province.

The multi-million dollar project is expected to be complete in seven months. The housing project is one of several that Magaya has spearheaded in real estate.

He has since started constructing a 15 000 seater stadium, in addition to construction of 1 500 houses in Harare and Chitungwiza.