5 hours Ago By James Gwati
By Business Reporter-The live, work, shop and play customer-centric Westprop Holdings is offering its residential property customers at Pomona City the opportunity of a lifetime to pay a 50 per cent deposit for their brick requirements and enjoy a two-year instalment payment. The company is setting up a US$1 million brick moulding company to assist in the realisation of the one billion bricks vision by 2050 and to speed development after encountering delays in brick delivery and, at times, standard bricks. 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.
Only 29 residential stands remain at Pomona phases 1B & C and 1A out of the initial 765 ahead of the introduction of the exciting leasehold concept next year. 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”. Chief executive officer Mr Ken Sharpe says 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, next year, 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 failing to buy other building materials. The purchase price of $0.
14 a brick will include transportation costs to the building site. Speaking at a Christmas and excellence recognition awards ceremony for WestProp employees, Mr Sharpe stressed 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. Mr Sharpe reiterated his love for Zimbabwe, noting that he formed the company to make a difference and provide livelihoods for 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. MR Sharpe challenged the employees to introspect and inspire themselves to achieve more for the company. The plant that 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 by purchasing yellow machines and other capital-intensive equipment to avoid hiring and delays in completing work.
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 themes, which have quickly become the signature selling point of all its products..
