Pelandaba- Mpopoma legislator, Charles Moyo has asked the National Housing and Social Amenities Minister to inform Parliament when residents of Mabutweni and Iminyela in his constituency would be issued with their title deeds.
Residents of the two suburbs have been battling to secure title deeds for years, with responsible authorities continuing to dig in.
Recently occupants of Mabutweni Messengers Camp, which houses civil servants, demanded that they also be issued title deeds.
Responding to Moyo’s question with notice Wednesday, National Housing and Social Amenities Deputy Minister Yeukai Simbanegavi there is an inter-ministerial committee that has been set up to tackle the issue.
The committee includes the Minister of National Housing, Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Minister of Higher Education, and the Minister of Finance and Economic Development.
“With regards to the issue of Mabutweni and Iminyela, what I can add to what the Leader of Government business has already indicated is, those suburbs are very old and as they wait for the process that has been explained for them to be issued with title deeds, is to go to council inspectors to ensure that their houses are inspected and are up to date because the issue of the standard will also be looked at once the issuance of title deeds begins,” she said.
“As an old suburb, what they need to do now is to make sure the issues of water reticulation and other required standards that are required by building inspectors are up to date so that when the inspections are done, their houses will be able to qualify for the issuance of title deeds.”
Moyo, however, said the Bulawayo City Council (BCC) inspectors said they could not issue title deeds because the houses do not have their ablution facilities.
“But there is no space to put their ablution facility since you said it is an old suburb,” decried Moyo.
“Secondly, these are pensioners and they do not have the money to construct those ablution facilities”.
Simbanegavi said: I can advise the Hon. Member to discuss with the residents of Iminyela that there is no hurry. They can take their time to find the funds to renovate and upgrade their houses as we wait for the technical processes that are happening within the inter-ministerial committee. I am hoping that by the time the technical discussions are done, probably by then, the residents would have been able to find some funds to upgrade their houses.”
