Real estate company, BOP pens deal with ZUJ to ease housing burden for journalists

By Caleb Chikwawawa

The Zimbabwe Union of Journalists (ZUJ) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with real estate company, Best Options Properties (BOP) which has drawn up a package for local scribes to purchase residential stands as groups coupled with flexible payment options.

At a joint media conference in Harare Tuesday, BOP official Howard Matope took time to explain the available options to journalists.

“The scheme that connected us with ZUJ was very clear. BOP as an entity has a way certain way of selling stands that gives advantages to you as a group as compared to an individual who comes directly to our office,” he said.

“We clearly stated the advantages of you guys coming as a group. You have a bargaining power over flexible payment terms.

“If you purchase one of the stands, say Rydale Ridge, when you are making inquiry, it’s clear that that Rydale Ridge we have stands that we are selling for US$45 per square metre.

“When you ask how you are going to pay, we then tell you that we want 25 percent of the total purchase price. Then you calculate 500 square meters times US$45 per square metre to come up with the total purchase price. The deposit we only want is 25 percent.

“If you have a problem of not being able to pay it all once, will allow you to pay within three months then you spread the balance of 36 months.

“Now when it’s a group, like you ZUJ. As we get into company, we are looking for a corporate market. We now use an opportunity cost. We then put the opportunity cost at our table, advantage of having you guys as a group.

“From a group, you are getting a lump some amount, that’s when we make decisions such as, we are now stretching over 25 percent and come up with figures that are flexible to you.

“We have now reduced to say, for every stand that is 300 square meters and below, a person should at least pay US$700. Then for 500 square meters and above, a person is free to put up at least a deposit of US$1,000, then after that, we then pay our instalments for the next 60 months.

“These are the advantages that are coming to you when you are a group.”

Matope assured the media the land offered by the company is secure with all development projects fully approved by the responsible authorities.

ZUJ Secretary General Perfect Hlongwane said that one of union’s aims was to make sure that media workers have access to land for residential use.

“We have decided that we are going to call for this press conference, reasons being we wanted to give an update in terms of the work that we have done so far in ensuring that our members, the media workers get land for residential purposes.

“It is the centre of union business to make sure that our members and media workers have access to land for residential purposes.

“We know that it speaks to one of the cardinal pillars of the union which is to ensure that we deal with the welfare of our members,” Hlongwane said.

Journalists remain an underpaid lot with many living in rented accommodation in parts of the country.