The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani
News Editor
THE Presidential Title Deeds Programme has brought excitement to thousands of people in Manicaland as they will soon have the much-needed security and collateral for their properties.
The programme is guided by the Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment Number 20 of 2013 which states that Government is obliged to ensure that every citizen has access to adequate shelter.
As demand for housing increases with the expansion of the population, this has led to the mushrooming of informal settlements and the scourge of land barons.
To address this, President Mnangagwa launched the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy on September 2, 2021, which replaced the National Housing Policy of 2012.
As the Presidential Title Deeds Scheme gathers momentum, residents set to benefit in Manicaland will be drawn from Mutare’s residential areas of Gimboki, Natview, Sakubva’s Old Location, Devonshire, Escrow, Ellis Gladhill, Nyausunzi and Messenger’s Camp.
In Chipinge residents of Gaza suburb will also benefit, the same applies to Mutasa (Hauna Growth Point and Mutasa Centre), Buhera (Murambinda), Chimanimani (Ngangu) and Rusape (Vengere and Tsanzaguru).
In a recent public notice, the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities urged beneficiaries to confirm by March 29 if they qualify to get the title deeds.
“The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities is facilitating the processing of the title deeds, and it has come to our attention that some beneficiary files do not hold key documents, which are a prerequisite for the processing of the files before the issuance of title deeds.
“In light of this, we hereby notify all would-be beneficiaries of the Government housing schemes across all provinces to bring the original copy of the offer letter and copy of the agreement of sale, original and certified copy of the national identification card of the purchaser, cession document, relevant documents in the case of a deceased estate and proof of payment of the purchase and related costs to the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities provincial offices on or before March 29, 2024,” reads the notice.
Housing Co-operatives Union’s national president, Mr Micah Duru welcomed the scheme and said it will empower a lot of residents.
In an interview on Wednesday, Mr Duru said: “The programme which was introduced by President Mnangagwa is a noble one because no one was thinking about it for years, but as a servant leader and father of the nation, he saw it fit to give people ownership of the land they rightly acquired.
“It is a very good idea and we have welcomed it. I am happy to say in Manicaland we have Gimboki on top of the list of the expected beneficiaries. If you look at the Zimbabwe National Human Settlement Policy, which is the new policy for housing, it actually stipulates Gimboki South Housing Scheme as one of the beneficiaries of the Presidential Title Deeds Scheme.
“However, there should also be infrastructure development in that area. Government said they are regularising the settlement and people will benefit from the title deeds scheme. Over 5 000 individual members will become owners of their properties in Gimboki.”
He added: “In areas like Sakubva, Dangamvura and Chikanga, some landlords do not have title deeds. As the co-operative movement, we are happy that President Mnangagwa has identified us as some of the beneficiaries of the title deeds. We also have Natview Park where there are more than 1 000 families who are set to benefit from the title deeds.
“It is also sad to note that if you look at the ownership of houses in Manicaland, 90 percent of them do not have title deeds for their properties and it does not give people confidence to say this is my property, which is why the President has said I want the people to have title deeds.
“When you get title deeds, you are empowered to go to any bank and acquire a loan. Some people want to extend their current houses but they cannot do that because they do not have title deeds. They cannot get funding from the bank because they do not have collateral. In the event of death of the title holder, his or her children will not have any challenges in processing the estate.”
Gimboki Residents Development chairman, Mr Nomore Brian Muza said there is a lot of progress in services provision in Gimboki.
“So far, 850 beneficiaries have been identified from Phases One, Two and Three. We have waited for years to get security of tenure. Money was lost to land barons, and we are happy that Government has come to our rescue,” he said.
Mr Muza added: “Tapped water is now being availed in Phase One of Gimboki, while phases two and three will soon have water points. Roads are being opened, while some are being rehabilitated to ensure that public transport reaches all the corners of the settlement.
“As residents, we are more than ready to be recognised as residents of Mutare and pay our rates and levies like everybody else,” he said.
A Sakubva resident, Mr Tafadzwa Zambasira said the Presidential Title Deeds Programme will see them leaving a legacy for their children.
“We have been paying rent to Mutare City Council for more than 35 years with no hope of getting title deeds for the houses. With the coming in of the title deeds scheme, this will be a special gift to my children. No one will harass them over my house when I die,” he said.
At Independence in 1980, Government adopted a home ownership policy where 90 percent of all rental houses in local authorities were disposed of to sitting tenants on a 25-year repayment tenure.
Another resident, Ms Judith Nyarota said: “We want to thank President Mnangagwa for this noble scheme. Some people lost ownership of their rented houses to individuals who were conniving with some unscrupulous elements at Mutare City Council’s housing department to change ownership of the properties. We will now be able to extend some of our houses as we were being told that we cannot do that on rented property.”
