Bulawayo residents in Ward 17 have been encouraged to ensure that their home ownership statuses are updated, to enable them to acquire title deeds and be able to validate them under the ongoing process.
A council official from the community’s revenue hall, Sibonginkosi Masukume, highlighted the importance for residents to update their home ownership statuses, citing that it would protect their properties from being stolen or from having family members fighting over them in the event that the owner dies.
“It is important to ensure that all your files, with regard to your houses, are up to date. Some of the residents here acquired their houses around 1976 to 1978, where they were paying rentals directly to the city council. Around 1986, the city council made a resolution to convert these houses to home ownership,” she explained.
“Most of the residents around that time seized the opportunity and they obtained what are called suspensive agreements of sale. A large number of residents are still holding on to those as proof of ownership.
On this topic
“For those who are still holding on to those, and would like to acquire title deeds, you are free to do so. You write an application letter, attach your national identity document, birth certificate and the suspensive agreement and bring it to the housing office.”
Masukume said the council process requires a fee of $24.50.
She emphasised that in the event of any developments pertaining to the ownership of the property, residents must promptly alert the local authority.
“It is important to ensure that all the necessary and correct information is provided to the city council at all times. As it stands, there are some residents who did not submit their ID’s to be filed with their records,” she said.
“If you are part of those people make sure you bring your documents. In some cases, you find that the owner of the property is now deceased, but the property ownership has not yet been transferred to the survivors. This places the property at risk of theft, either from scammers or from malicious family members who may want to be opportunistic.”
The residents queried on the processes required for them to change the ownership in the event that the owner would have died.
Masukume explained that such eventuality would require legal processes that involve the Master of the High Court to get the paperwork processed.
Another resident sought clarity on the possibility of removing some of the beneficiaries who would have been listed and replacing them with others.
“Is it possible for me to remove the names of some beneficiaries who would have been listed prior, especially in the case where some would not be the biological children of the owner?” she asked.
Masukume explained that it is possible, as some of the beneficiaries would have been listed as occupants of the property base in various reasons.
“Back then there were situations whereby for a child to be admitted into a school, they would have to be listed as an occupant of a house in the area where the school was. But after they finish school and they move on with their lives, the owner of the house is allowed to de-list them so that the intended beneficiaries will not have future challenges,” Masukume explained.
Ward 17 Councilor, Sikhululekile Moyo, urged the residents to desist from selling homes that would have been left for them out of malice.
“It is important that as residents we understand the value of these houses that we have. Some of us are living in houses that we inherited from our parents and grandparents,” she said.
“But there are some people who do not value such investments. Due to greed, they sell the houses and share proceeds, undermining the efforts made by the owners to acquire those properties.
“Houses are very important and they are not assets that we can just dispose of willy-nilly.”
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