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Innocent Ruwende Municipal Reporter
Harare City Council has resolved to sell its residential properties to sitting tenants who have occupied the houses since independence in 1980.

The city, which has various residential properties in Harare, is now working on proposed guidelines for the disposal of the houses.

According to recent minutes of the Education, Health, Housing and Community Services and Licensing Committee, councillors recommended that council considers selling its houses to sitting tenants who had been in occupation for more than 35 years.

“The corporate and housing director advised that a report with proposed guidelines for the disposal of the houses would be submitted in the next meeting for consideration by the committee,” read part of the minutes.

The committee resolved that the corporate services and housing director should report on the proposed guidelines at the next committee meeting.

Last year Government ordered all local authorities to immediately transfer into home ownership houses built for rental occupation as it moved to reduce the housing backlog presently hovering around 1,5 million countrywide.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister Dr Ignatius Chombo told parliamentarians during a national pre-budget seminar for 2015 that Government was disturbed by the ever increasing accommodation shortages as evidenced by illegal occupation of land in towns and sprouting of squatter camps.

“We are compelling all local authorities in Zimbabwe, especially the major cities who have houses on their books for the last 20,30,40,60 years being rented out to families, that we want those houses sold to the sitting tenants and title deeds given to them,” said Dr Chombo.

In line with the Revised National Housing Policy (2012), the minister said Government was also working on resuscitating the rural housing programme aimed at raising the standard of houses from traditional units to modern structures.

Under Zim-Asset, Harare province is expected to deliver 105 935 houses by 2018, the Midlands (56 760), Matabeleland North (28 772), Mashonaland West (23 819), Manicaland (21 830), Masvingo (20 269), Mashonaland Central (16 607), Bulawayo (15 100), Matabeleland South (12 500) and Mashonaland East (11 776).