RESIDENTS’ associations in Harare’s dormitory settlement of Epworth are derailing the presidential title deeds programme and encouraging residents to provide false information, a local authority’s official has said.
President Emmerson Mnangagwa launched the title deeds during the campaign ahead of the August 2023 harmonised elections aimed at securing property rights for homeowners in areas previously referred to as informal settlements.
The programme was expected to spread across urban centres in Zimbabwe as government battles to find a solution to sprawling informal settlements.
The associations are reportedly encouraging residents not to follow the local government directive on regularisation of residential stands in the area.
The Kushinga Epworth Residents Trust and Epworth Urban Residents Association are allegedly giving false information on the regularisation exercise, instructing residents not to follow the gazetted laws set by the Local Government ministry and the Epworth Local Authority.
The statutes state that an individual is entitled to one residential stand but the residents’ associations are allegedly persuading residents not to comply with the Epworth Local Authority’s regulations in the formalisation of illegal settlements in the area.
They are also accused of defrauding unsuspecting residents of their hard-earned money by making them pay undisclosed amounts promising them to get larger pieces of land and multiple stands.
In an interview with NewsDay, Epworth’s housing director Dennis Muranduri accused the associations of confusing residents and misleading them that the local authority is using a wrong layout map.
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He also accused the associations of sponsoring litigation against the regularisation exercise and attempting to blackmail and threaten public officials at the local authority.
“They are dubious residents’ associations namely Kushinga Epworth Residents Trust (KERT) and Epworth Urban Residents Association which are allegedly defrauding residents of their hard-earned money promising them that the regularisation will be reversed,” he said.
“These residents’ associations are sponsoring litigation against the regularisation programme and are using blackmail and threats against public officials at our offices.”
He said the associations’ representatives were encouraging residents not to pay bills until the entire Epworth Local Board administration was fired and replaced by their preferred officials.
“They have initiated a campaign influencing people not to pay their bills until we are all fired and replaced by aspiring officials in the Residents Trusts organogram,” Maranduri said.
He said the associations invaded land which was reserved for the construction of a district hospital in the Robert Mugabe Area in Epworth and illegally parcelled out the land without council approval.
However, after the surveyor general completed the layout plan for the regularisation programme it was discovered that the invaded area was meant for a district hospital.
“These associations led the invasion of the hospital site after misrepresenting that the land was for residential purposes and started to parcel out land to their relatives and their members without council’s approval,” Muranduri said.
“When the final layout plan map was presented by the surveyor general, it was discovered that the area they had invaded was reserved for a district hospital.”
KERT co-ordinator John Mabwe denied the allegations, adding that he was not moved by allegations made by “unprofessional cowards”.
“I don’t care if you label me a corrupt person, all those at the local authority are unprofessional, they don’t know anything about administration, they are just not professional,” he said.
“Please speak to Mr Zhou for further information, me myself as a professional, I cannot waste my time commenting on unprofessional people who are at the Epworth Local Board. Kindly speak to the chairperson.”
However, efforts to get a comment from Zhou were unfruitful as his mobile phone was not reachable.
Epworth Urban Residents Association officials were not readily available for comment until the time going to press.
