Business Writer
THE year 2025 promises exciting developments and offerings at WestProp Holdings across all its construction sites.
At Pomona City, less than 20 stand-alone residential plots remain ahead of the construction of apartment blocks at the live, work, shop and play themed US$4 billion estate.
Construction of the requisite infrastructure such as roads, water, wastewater and drainage facilities has been done with stand owners having access to their plots.
Development of apartment units is expected to begin in the last quarter with customers already buying into the units off-plan in the same period.
Once the agreed threshold for each apartment block is reached – construction begins.
Late last year an open day was held to allow customers first hand insights into one of the futuristic apartment dwellings in Harare North.
Pomona City is one of the premium developments by WestProp that brings together all the facilities and utilities of a city into one compact settlement.
Some key features of the Pomona apartments include spacious two to four bedroom units with modern finishes, a state of the art artificial intelligence powered security system, swimming pool, gym and other recreational amenities.
When built and completed the estate will have a shopping mall adorned with fine dining facilities, general eateries, banks, anchor supermarkets among other pull factor facilities.
WestProp chief executive officer, Ken Sharpe, is upbeat with this year’s project pipeline noting that 2025 “is our year” in terms of achieving excellence and set timelines.
So far Pokugara Estate is sold out allowing the company to redirect efforts to The Hills Luxury Golf Estate, Millennium Heights and Pomona City.
Construction of the redesigned golf course at the Luxury Hills Golf Estate is taking shape hyping the excitement in the golf community.
This year will also witness the start of the construction of amenities at some of the estates to bring into focus the play aspect of the live, work, shop and play theme.
WestProp is offering its residential property customers at Pomona City an opportunity to pay 50 percent deposit for their brick requirements and enjoy a two-year instalments payment.
The company is setting up a US$1 million brick moulding company to assist the realisation of the one billion bricks vision by 2050 and to speed up development after encountering delays in brick delivery and at times below standard deliveries.
Of all its development projects so far – only customers at Pomona City are building their own homes while at other developments the company is offering complete turn-key products.
Less than 30 residential stands remain at Pomona phases 1B & C and 1A out of the initial 765 ahead of the introduction of the leasehold concept.
The brick factory is designed to supply bricks to WestProp projects and with growth the company will then be able to supply excess bricks to “outside customers”.
Sharpe said the new venture is in response to market delays in delivering bricks to the company’s construction sites and a quest to manage brick quality.
“As of March, we start production. Those bricks are pre-sold. They are going to our customers. Our customers will pay a 50 percent deposit and pay the balance in instalments over two years,” he said.
The initiative is meant to incentivise the customers to build and not be burdened by paying lump sums towards the bricks and then fail to buy other building materials.
The purchase price at $0.14 a brick will include transportation costs to the building site. Speaking at a Christmas and excellence recognition awards ceremony for WestProp employees, Sharpe stressed on the concept of urgency in service delivery to meet customer expectations.
He rallied the employees to embrace the one billion brick vision adding that “their hands” would be imprinted on the achievements of the vision.
“Whatever we do with the billion bricks stands forever. For the test of time,” he said.
Sharpe reiterated his love for Zimbabwe noting that he formed the company to make a difference and provide livelihoods to thousands of people whose value chain depends on WestProp.
“I set up this business to be a public company. Not to enrich myself. I have enough money. I set it up so that you can benefit from it,” he said.
Sharpe challenged the employees to introspect and inspire themselves to achieve more for the company.
He said brick manufacturing plant will manufacture WestProp branded bricks.
“Our plant will be operational in 2025. We are targeting to do our first installations of new equipment in January and February. Initially the plant’s output will be directed exclusively to our Harare projects,” he said.
“The land we own requires one billion bricks which translates to US$5 billion to build. We want to be able to meet our own deadlines in terms of construction timelines,” he says.
WestProp has been on a drive to self-resource with the purchase of yellow machines and other capital-intensive equipment to avoid hiring and delays in completing projects.
WestProp are the developers of Pomona City, Pokugara, Millennium Heights, The Hills Luxury Golf Estate, the soon to be built Mall of Zimbabwe and the upcoming branded apartment hotel at Millennium Heights (block 5).
The company’s developments embody the live, work, shop and play theme which is fast becoming the signature selling point of all its products.
