Bulawayo City Council (BCC) Nketa Housing Officer, Simakuhle Mguni, has urged women to ensure their names are included on property ownership documents alongside their husbands, rather than being listed merely as spouses.
Mguni made these remarks during a residents’ meeting organised by the Bulawayo Progressive Residents Association in Ward 23 at Sigombe Primary School.
The discussion focused on home ownership, property transfers, lease agreements, deceased estates, and service delivery concerns.
Speaking at the meeting, Mguni pointed out the cultural norm where homes are traditionally registered in the husband’s name, with the wife listed as a spouse.
“I encourage women to have their names on the property title alongside their husbands. Many women work hard to build homes—often travelling to Botswana to trade goods or working to educate their children—but in the end, they can be left with nothing if the man decides to sell the house. Women, don’t relax just because you’re registered as a spouse on a property, because there may come a time when you need documentation in court, and the law will only recognise the husband as the legal owner,” she said.
Mguni urged women to approach local authorities to update older property agreements to reflect shared ownership and protect their rights.
“In some cases, when a wife passes away, the husband remarries, and the children from the first marriage and other relatives may feel that the second wife has no rightful claim to the home. Women entering second marriages should consider having their property for peace of mind, as the law may recognise the surviving spouse, but living in the home might become difficult due to conflicts with children and relatives of the deceased,” Mguni said.
She advised, “Even if the economy is challenging when we remarry, try to build a small home, even if it’s just a two-roomed house in Cowdray Park, to secure a future for your children and avoid future conflicts.”
Mguni also emphasised the importance of managing properties wisely and ensuring order while still alive.
Regarding property transfers, she reminded residents to seek council consent for ownership changes and highlighted the need for ZIMRA clearance.
“Before any change of ownership, council consent is required. We cannot process documentation without ZIMRA clearance. If I process the papers without ZIMRA’s involvement, it is considered a crime for both me and the seller,” she warned.
Mguni further advised residents to keep receipts when extending their properties, as these would be useful for future property evaluations.
During the meeting, residents echoed the call for fairness in property registration.
“As a housewife, I want my name registered on the property because one day my husband may marry another woman, and I could lose everything,” said one resident.
Another resident stressed the importance of safeguarding family assets: “We need to encourage each other to protect the property we’ve worked hard for. Love may be blind, but we must not let it blind us to the point where we lose our children’s inheritance.”
