Harare proposes compulsory housing insurance after Masvingo hail

Harare mayor Jacob Mafume proposed on Thursday before a full council meeting the introduction of compulsory housing insurance, the Zimbabwean daily Daily News reports. The scheme would aim to cover homeowners against natural disasters, after the hail that struck Masvingo province last month exposed their vulnerability.

According to Jacob Mafume, the proposed scheme would offer capped basic cover, the exact amount of which was not made public in the record of the session. The mayor was speaking after a hail tornado damaged roofs and homes in Masvingo province, in the south-east of the country.

The proposal comes three days after the publication of our article on evictions denounced in Masvingo by rights defenders, on 26 October. The province had already been in the news in October, when local authorities gave homeowners seven days to remove structures encroaching on roads. Harare mayor Jacob Mafume proposed on Thursday before a full council meeting the introduction of compulsory housing insurance, the Zimbabwean daily Daily News reports. The scheme would aim to cover homeowners against natural disasters, after the hail that struck Masvingo province last month exposed their vulnerability. According to Jacob Mafume, the proposed scheme would offer capped basic cover, the exact amount of which was not made public in the record of the session. The mayor was speaking after a hail tornado damaged roofs and homes in Masvingo province, in the south-east of the country. The proposal comes three days after the publication of our article on evictions denounced in Masvingo by rights defenders, on 26 October. The province had already been in the news in October, when local authorities gave homeowners seven days to remove structures encroaching on roads.