A HARARE-BASED liberal think-tank has questioned the viability of a 250 000 stands project under Pinnacle Property Holdings owned by flamboyant businessman Phillip Chiyangwa including the acquisition of the land for the project.
The Coalition for Market and Liberal Solutions (Comaliso) also flagged the availability of money for infrastructural development and if the stands were surveyed by the Surveyor General’s office.
Comaliso argues that if not handled well by the Registrar of Deeds, the project may result in abrasive litigation challenges.
The government and City of Harare, which are huge land owners in the city, have struggled to fulfill housing demands from the poor and low-income citizens due to prohibitive offsite and onsite infrastructure costs.
The then Housing and Social Amenities minister Daniel Garwe in 2022 said the government had budgeted to build less than 250 houses indirectly admitting to selling the public a dummy when it pledged 300 000 annually in the 2018 election campaigns.
In a position paper aimed at analysing the importance of the additional 250 000 stands and title deeds, Comaliso said the issue of title deeds and housing has to be approached with caution.
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“When a private developer claims that they can supply 250 000 stands, questions have to be answered on the nature of ownership of that land so that when prospective homeowners subscribe, issuance of title deeds does not escalate into abrasive and extended litigation. Government must do due diligence to eliminate chances of future disputed stands ownership and related conflicts in this project,” the organisation said.
However, contacted for comment on the legality and viability of the project, Chiyangwa said the situation was under control.
“I bought the land and I do not have the answers to the rest of the questions you are asking me,” he said.
But Comaliso reiterated the importance of title deeds saying President Emmerson Mnangagwa has always stressed the importance of current and prospective low-income homeowners having title deeds.
"In addition to our 10-year-old advocacy on this subject, the central government has unleashed several such campaigns, the most popular of which is Kwangu-Kwami Trust,” it said.
Comaliso said 250 000 stands ultimately equates to an equal number of title deeds.
“We hope the Registrar of Deeds, through the Kwangu-Kwami Trust, has the capacity to handle this project. Moreover, it will be a tragedy of heinous proportions if, 5-10 years from now, 250 000 homeowners have to approach the courts to compel the property developer to process title deeds.
“This horror movie has been shown hundreds of times. Our ‘Right to Shelter Act’ petition currently under Parliamentary scrutiny stresses the importance of simple and credible titling processes,” it said.