Mnangagwa gifts title deeds to urban dwellers

PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has gifted urban dwellers Christmas and New Year gifts in the form of title deeds that will benefit residents who built houses on undesignated land under the watch of the incompetent and corruption-riddled MDC municipalities around the country.

Stepping in to alleviate the plight of urbanites who have been receiving a raw deal from successive MDC councils, the ruling party this year regularised the illegal structures and in some cases resettled them.

Thus at yesterday's Politburo meeting, the President told members of the vital ruling party organ that in the pursuit of development that leaves no one behind, urban dwellers are going to get the security of tenure.

The party's Secretary for Information and Publicity Chris Mutsvangwa said the move by the President is yet another game-changer that will improve the lives of urbanites.

"The President announced a big bang financial system, issuing title deeds to urban dwellers to the existing crop of urban houses. We have many houses that were built and many have no title. These houses are going to get title deeds, this is the creation of a new financial bank, people are going to securitise existing houses. This is a big bang Christmas gift to urban dwellers by the President for their existing houses," Mutsvangwa said.

This year the President launched the Zimbabwe National Human Settlements Policy (ZNHSP), a programme that aims to spearhead the development of modern and affordable urban and rural human settlements and social amenities in a coordinated and sustainable manner.

Under ZNHSP, the country aims to build 225 000 housing units by 2025 with construction, which will have a ripple effect on other sectors of the economy such as the manufacturing industry, already underway.

Zanu-PF Secretary for Transport and Welfare July Moyo, who is also the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, said the President emphasised the importance of development that leaves no one and no place behind including the abandoned urban areas.

"In urban areas, we had to intervene to make sure that we alleviate the plight of urbanites. The plight of dysfunctional settlements which were unplanned, we have regularised some of the houses and we are still working towards regularising them. That regulation means a lot of people who have been yearning for a title deed will now get them. We are at an advanced stage to ensure that all people get title deeds from the President, both in urban and rural areas. The land belongs to the President, we only administer it," he said.

Moyo said if the country's economy was to grow there was a need for security of tenure and that is what the Second Republic led by President Mnangagwa will strive to ensure so that people have title deeds in most areas that sprouted up illegally as a result of poor service delivery from the MDC-run councils.

In addition, the ruling party has set eyes on improving the transport system and so far buses have been procured throughout 2021 with more on the way.

Mutsvangwa added that the opposition should not cry foul when they lose elections because Zanu-PF has implemented programmes that resonate with the people.

"He (the President) has told the party that it should prepare itself for by-elections. We tell the MDC, we are advertising to them that if you make your bed you lie on it. You were running towns and you were running them down, you didn't care for the urban people. Zanu-PF has been forced to intervene and save the people, to restore the infrastructure that makes a city what it ought to be.  You can't have a city of potholes; you can't have a city without running water, you can't have a city without roads - this has been a hallmark of the MDC," said Mutsvangwa.