Zimpapers Logo

Blessings Chidakwa Municipal Reporter
They have left thousands of people counting losses running into millions of dollars.

Some have been arrested, while others are on the run. Their victims are in misery and their mere mention has become synonymous with criminality.

These are Zimbabwe’s “land barons”!

Desperate home-seekers, particularly in Harare, are losing a lot of cash daily in their quest to acquire residential stands.

Ruthless land barons and corrupt urban council officials have been conspiring to take advantage of home-seekers’ failure to comprehend stand acquisition procedures.

Many people across the country have woken up to home demolitions despite having the “relevant” documents entitling them to the land on which they would have built properties.

In Harare and most urban centres, which have largely been controlled by the opposition since the year 2000, houses keep mushrooming on most empty spaces, creating illegal settlements.

Just what does one need to do to acquire a legitimate residential stand from a local authority or private property developer?

According to Harare City Council’s housing policy, for one to be considered for a stand, they should be registered on the waiting list after paying a registration fee of $300, renewable every six months.

Applicants indicate whether they want the stand in a low, medium or high density suburb.

After spending six months on the waiting list, one is supposed to pay an additional $250 for interviews which will be conducted whenever land becomes available.

This can take years, as Harare’s housing waiting list has more than half a million applicants.

The local authority said there should be a certificate of compliance certifying that the above mentioned procedures would have been followed.

If a person satisfies requirements after the interview, they receive an offer letter for stand allocation and are asked to pay the full value.

The title deed of the property then gives the legal name of the property which can be verified from the Registrar of Deeds after paying a fee, including the person who owns the property or stand.

“The offer letter can be verified with the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works through the Department of State Land or Department of Physical Planning or relevant local authority,” states the council policy document.

“If someone holds an offer letter from the Ministry of Lands, be suspicious because he/she needs to get a change of use permit from say agriculture to residential/housing, then layout has to be approved by Department of Physical Planning.”

The documents explain what one should look out for when dealing with private                                    developers.

According to council policy, for one to acquire a stand, the first thing is to ask for the relevant papers from the seller.

These include a valid offer/allocation letter and agreement of sale between the Government/council and the seller.

There should be proof of ownership in the form of title deeds and survey diagrams from the Surveyor General whether on private, Government or council land.

The documents are supposed to be verified with relevant authorities and these are the Registrar of Deeds, Surveyor General or Urban State Land Office.

On private land, there should be an approved subdivision permit and approved layout plans.

“Another requirement is approved engineering designs for water, sewer and roads which would have been approved by council’s engineering department,” said council.

“There should be approved infrastructure successfully implemented and approved on the site in the form of water, sewer and roads signed for by council.”

If any of these documents are missing, the prospective buyer should raise the red flag and defer payment until they have sight of the papers.

It is advisable to engage reputable legal practitioners when making such transactions.

Processing of the Harare waiting list is being done manually.

Councillor Enock Mupamawonde, who was acting Harare Mayor until Thursday, recently said council was inviting information technology experts to review and assist in the automation of the housing allocation system.

Owning shelter is a Constitutional  right.

The Constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment (No. 20) states that “the State and all agencies of Government at every level must take reasonable legislative and other measures, within the limits of the resources available to them, to enable every person to have access to adequate shelter”.

However, some people have spent decades on the waiting list, with some dying before realising their dreams of owning properties.

Because of the hurdle associated with the process of getting stands from council, many people have been opting to buy stands from private land owners.

While this may be one of the quickest ways of acquiring a stand, it has come with its own challenges and pitfalls.

Many have fallen prey to land barons, corrupt council officials and conmen.

Last week, more than 20 houses that were illegally built in a cantonment area next to the National Heroes’ Acre, were demolished.

This is the latest case where people have lost hard earned money to land barons.

However, prospective homeowners can still fall prey to land barons, especially when there is connivance with corrupt council officials.

But chances of being duped can be minimised if one meticulously checks all the required documents before a stand purchase.

Urban planning expert Mr Percy Toriro recently said the law prohibits construction of structures, especially on public land, without due process.