GOVERNMENT will continue to regularise settlements that existed before the 2021 National Human Settlements Policy to deal with the scourge of land barons, President Emmerson Mnangagwa has said.
Speaking, during the commissioning of Dzivarasekwa Flats in Harare yesterday, Mnangagwa said government was stamping its authority on the scourge of land barons.
He said the authorities would leave no stone unturned in their efforts to stop the malpractice.
“These malcontents had spread their wings to our rural areas, including in growth points, peri-urban areas, district service centres, rural service centres and villages in our communal areas,” Mnangagwa said.
“I implore our traditional leadership to be alert, vigilant and ensure that proper procedures are followed in parcelling out land.
“The practice by some unscrupulous village heads to illegally parcel out land in anticipation of urbanisation in their areas of jurisdiction must stop forthwith.”
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Mnangagwa called on residents to reflect before acquiring stands or land for residential development.
He said residents should engage with relevant authorities on land or stand transactions to ensure correct guidance and assistance before investing their resources.
Mnangagwa last year launched the Presidential Title Deeds Programme aimed at empowering residents of informal settlements and long-standing tenants with property rights.
“Title deeds are an empowerment tool and a legal document that gives beneficiaries rights of ownership as well as security of tenure, disposal and transfer of ownership.
“I would like to commend the work being done by the Inter-Ministerial Taskforce, which is championing the programme and mobilising resources for infrastructure emplacement through private sector participation as represented by the Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential Title Deed Programme Trust,” he said.
Mnangagwa hailed the Dzivarasekwa Flats project as a significant milestone in the government’s efforts to provide affordable housing for Zimbabweans.
The project, fully funded by the government and undertaken by the Local Government and Public Works ministry, is a response to the devastating floods that hit Budiriro in 2021.
The new flats, comprising four blocks with capacity to house 48 families, are designed to be climate-resilient, featuring solar geysers and thick brick walls for insulation.