CONDITIONALITES
8.3.1 Output, price and supply
8.3.1.5 Steel
The solution lies in converting the informal sector into the formal. This can be achieved by creating permanent controlled premises so that training and high standards can be achieved. This activity can even go as far as pooling the resources of the sector to aggregately market their products thus producing accountability and taxation.
costs. With most buildings being low-rise, we expected a low rate of steelwork in the Zimbabwean building industry, yet the opposite is true. The high rate of burglary has forced many households to build steel grill doors and burglar bars on all windows.
The trend toward building "fortresses" has helped in promoting business for most infonnal sector steel welders. All the major roads of the three cities of Harare, Mutare and Bulawayo are lined with traders dealing in burglar-bars, steel grille doors and steel gates. The only problem with this development, from an architectural point of view is poor aesthetics. Some of the fortresses are built as an after thought, some are built with semi-skill and the result is an unpleasant array of burglar bars and ugly concrete walls in most instances (plate8.1).
Plate 8.2 Dura wall as security fence-Harare
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At this juncture, it is important to point out that it was difficult to establish the consumption of steel in the shelter provision sector. ZISCO steel the only producer of steel, being parastal infonnation was not available for the public.
8.3.1.6 Timber
Alt~~ugh Zimb~bwe i~ endowed with a variety of timber species, its planning and bU~ldJng reg~latlons ~tl~1 do not allow for timber building structures. The key argument being that timber bUildings are susceptible to tennites and would easily spread fire to
surrounding buildings, in case of a fire. Yet there are studies which prove this theory wrong. For examples, studies by second year Architectural students at NUST in various parts of Zimbabwe have shown that timber buildings built by the early missionaries are still standing today despite the poor maintenance of these buildings. Americans build 2-3 story buildings, which can last an average of 200 years with good maintenance. We are of the view that, allowing timber buildings, especially houses in designated council areas would create more job opportunities for the carpenters in the construction industry and at the same time provide affordable housing This would in-turn promote the local timber market and job opportunities in the timber business.
Currently, Zimbabwe earns in excess of $800,000 annually from the export of timber products to Tanzania and Namibia through the State owned Forestry Commission. This is despite the timber export curb by Government, which limits the amount of timber to be exported from Zimbabwe to 75% of the total production. Making the announcement in Harare, the Environment Permanent Secretary, said the export limit was "a way of regulating the industry and protecting the local industry" (The Herald, 20/10/95). This is clearly another contradiction of Government policy to let market forces determine the demand and supply of goods in the economy. With such Government export controls, it will inevitably entail bureaucratic paper work in monitoring this 75% limit (CSO, 1997). It is likely that we shall see more illegal export of timber and loss of Government revenue.
We should emphasise that the increase in timber exports have been made against a backdrop of reduced local demand, especially by National Railways of Zimbabwe who are now replacing their timber sleepers with concrete ones.
Fig. 8.3 Zimbabwe's sawn wood production in thousand cubic metres
1994 1995 1992 1993
1990 1991 1989
140 120 100 80 60 40 20
O+----+---I----+----+---+----+---l
1988
Source: National Nations-Statistical Yearbook, 1996, pg 47 Additions Mucharambeyi 2000 Although there is support for Government efforts in trying to ensure sustainable practices in the timber industry, people strongly feel that the above measures by
Govemment are counter-productive. Not only to the construction industry and the economy as a whole, but will also lead to failure by govemment to achieve their aims and objectives. For instance, it is an "open secret" in Zimbabwe that hardwood like Mukwa from the Matebleland Province is finding its way to neighbouring countries outside the fonnal market and this control will only encourage smuggling. Instead, it is proposed that timber merchants should by law, be required to plant more trees than they are cutting down, and that the govemment should impose a timber tax on the sale of timber that would be used for re-forestation throughout Zimbabwe.
Fig 8.3 traces the timber production in Zimbabwe. The study found that an average of 20 cubic metres per year go into domestic shelter development, while the rest is exported.
The exportation though, has not increased per the conditionality of Industrial Policy like job creation and an export orientated economy having no export quantity and government restrictions. Most of the timber in Zimbabwe is used for roofing plate 7.2)
Plate 7.3 Timber as the main roof structural component
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8.3.2 The use of indigenous construction materials
Without doubt, the number one factor that hinders the use of indigenous construction materials in Zimbabwe and in other parts of the World is the old and restrictive planning and building regulations (Habitat, 1985b). Although the Scientific Industrial & Research Development Centre (SIRDC) and the National Council for Scientific Research have all done some research and produced some prototype indigenous materials for use in home building. None of these prototypes has been developed commercially. For example, the SIRDC 's sisal reinforced cement roofing sheets and cement additive from mine dumps, though tried and tested on some demonstration houses in Harare, have not been replicated on any of the housing schemes for the local councils or private house builders.
A lesson for Zimbabwe can be found in Botswana, where the NGO, CORDE has been active in promoting the production of low-cost building materials such as soil cement blocks, soil-stabilized wall construction and roofing tiles. Zimbabwe can also leam from
Chile where the Hagar De Christo programme was implemented to produce community based building components.
8.3.3 Research into new low cost construction materials
Despite successes achieved in producing skilled construction manpower, the two Universities including the National Council for Scientific Research (NCSR) have failed to develop innovative and appropriate construction materials and techniques for the country. Although the SIRDC and the National Council for Scientific Research have previously developed Cement Fibre (Sisal) reinforced roofing sheets and the stabilised soil blocks, these products have received such poor publicity throughout the country that very few people outside these two institutions know anything about them. For instance, 71% of our respondents had no idea of any type of research conducted by NCSR (1998) in the Zimbabwean construction materials field.
Because research is expensive, it is most likely that only large public construction companies can afford to spend money researching cheaper and more efficient production methods (Warren, 1993, p. 99). With the new Government policy (under ESAP and the enabling shelter strategy) of breaking down the large parastatal companies in favour of the small-scale private companies, there is a fear of reduced research in the industry. With little research, the Zimbabwean construction industry risks lagging behind competitors within the Southern Africa region and the rest of the world. It is important that other strategies are found to finance and carry out research on indigenous materials and construction methods. This is the only way of finding appropriate construction methods and materials for Zimbabwean conditions (See also Briscoe, 1988, p. 288).
It is important, however, that research results are effectively disseminated throughout the industry. There is no point in Government having to spend millions of dollars in scarce resources for such research, if all this information will just end up as published papers in foreign journals without any meaningful benefits to the country. From the fieldwork result, it is clear that the lack of an efficient information system for the construction industry vis-a-vis housing has played an important part in the failure to disseminate research findings.
The challenge also lies in the shelter provision sector professionals to take into consideration the need to adjust. How and where? For example, from the stUdy, it is apparent that there is need to reconsider bye-laws, bUilding technology and plan formulation to accommodate the groWing informal sector. Improvement can also be given to this sector by creating mini-factories to produce materials. This would considerably benefit the shelter industry.
8.4.0 Construction imports
The liberalisation of the Zimbabwean economy under the Economic Structural Adjustmen.t Programme has no doubt seen the once 'closed' Zimbabwean market open
industry but also in the rest of the economy. In the past, Government policy was geared towards import substitution and protectionist policies for infant domestic industries, now imports are 'freely' allowed into the country and local companies are expected to compete with foreign and established companies. The immediate impact of this import liberation policy on the Zimbabwean construction market has been to ease the former shortages of construction materials by providing the Open General Import Licence (OGIL) which has resulted into minimal delay on construction sites. It should be noted that short construction periods also mean lower construction costs, especially in countries with high inflation like Zimbabwe.
Sources of construction imports: As we have already learned, most of the respondents obtain their construction material from South Africa. Easy access and short distance appears to be the main reasons why the formal and informal sectors prefer this country. The Zimbabwe National Chambers of Commerce (ZNCC) has accused the Zimbabwean Government in the Customs & Excise Department of laxity in collecting customs duty and corruption. They charge that corrupt custom officials are giving informal traders and smugglers unrestricted access to this business. There is need for Government to investigate this allegation and Government move in quickly to seal these loopholes. Failure to do so meant that the Government would continue to loose millions of ZimDollar through such illegal operations. The high production costs emanating partly from high taxes on Zimbabwean products have only gone to encourage the importation of cheap construction goods. It must be noted, however, that informal traders tend to deal in small construction items like mortise locks, lamp holders, putty, electric switches etc., rather than bulk items like bath tubs, or geysers which are still dominantly provided by the formal sector.
Effects of imports on the local industry: The positive impact of the import liberation policy was readily appreciated by the study respondents, 73% of the respondents said that imports had helped their businesses. A mere 17% said otherwise. The remaining 10% were either not sure or did not respond to this particular question. Itwas also noted that 17% of the respondents that said they had not benefited from the import liberation policy were mainly manufacturers of construction materials, who were in competition with cheap and sometimes superior products from South Africa. This is not withstanding the findings by most researchers that the importation of most construction inputs in developing countries are providing marginal benefits to the national economy (Habitat, 1985, p.7).
The reliance on imported construction materials means loss of foreign exchange and low multiplier effects. The dependence on imported materials also means a decline in local construction material industry thereby reducing Government revenue from domestic companies.