Platform for quick issuance of title deeds goes live 

Tanyaradzwa Rusike and Nokuthula Dube

A digital land administration system to enable the expeditious issuance of secure title deeds under the Presidential Title Deeds Programme has been set up and will go live this week.

The platform is expected to be launched by President Mnangagwa soon.

The system, which will accelerate the issuance of title to homeowners, also seeks to combat the spread of fake and fraudulent land ownership documents.

Under the programme, over 1,5 million homeowners across Zimbabwe will receive official title to their properties.

The launch of the platform coincides with the intensification of efforts to regularise informal settlements, a process that will pave the way for residents in these areas to obtain title deeds.

As part of the massive regularisation programme, the authorities have begun developing a water treatment plant for Epworth, a densely populated settlement near Harare.

Additionally, a plan to develop a potable water distribution system for the settlement has been completed.

Similar initiatives are being implemented in other irregular settlements such as Cowdray Park (Bulawayo), Gimboki (Mutare) and Harare South.

Regularisation will involve the integration of these unplanned settlements into the formal urban framework.

This will entail upgrading essential infrastructure such as roads. Infrastructure for water supply, sanitation, electricity and waste management will also be improved.

This integration will ensure the settlements are seamlessly connected to the broader urban infrastructure network.

The Government has partnered Kwangu/Ngakwami Trust to mobilise resources for the grand programme.

Speaking during a ceremony to sign an agreement formalising the partnership in Harare last week, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Permanent Secretary Mrs Vimbai Nyemba said: “The issuance of title deeds is real, but some people politicise the whole issue.

“We want to fill in the gap in respect of what the intention of Government is. I am happy to say the programme is really on and serious business is happening. The system is now ready, and it is housed at the Deeds Office.”

Kwangu/Ngakwami Trust chief executive officer Mr Iddo Mudavanhu said field offices had been set up in the targeted settlements, where beneficiaries will have their applications for title processed.

To acquire the deed, the homeowner is required to produce an original copy of their land offer letter, a copy of the agreement of sale, a cessation document where applicable, relevant documents in case of deceased estates and proof of payments of the purchase price and related costs.

“The system for digital land administration for title deeds is now ready,” said Mr Mudavanhu. “The system that is going to be used for this process has been finalised and it is ready to process the deeds.

“We have also established field offices in Epworth and Chitungwiza, where beneficiaries will be approaching the various field offices to process their papers.

“The field system is integrated into the Registrar-General’s Office, which is also ready to verify national IDs.”

Mr Mudavanhu said US$1 million had been set aside for the programme.

“For the project, we had budgeted US$1 million, and we have drawn down close to US$600 000 in terms of setting up the command centre, which is fully equipped,” he said.

“We have imported 200 000 securitised papers, which will cater for 100 000 title deeds. We have also imported securitised offer letterheads because the first step will be the issuance of offer letters to the beneficiaries.

“Servers where the digital title deeds will be stored are now in place and we have also invested in systems that will be processing digital title deeds.”

National Housing and Social Amenities Permanent Secretary Engineer Theodius Chinyanga said the programme will benefit homeowners in informal settlements, municipal tenants and beneficiaries of Government-enabled houses.

“Kwangu as an entity was set up to bridge the gap between the financial sector and Government,” he said. “So, they are stepping in to do the crowding in of the private financiers.

“This money will enable us to move into Epworth and put in place the infrastructure that will give us the compliance we want in areas like Epworth, Caledonia, Gimboki, Harare South, Cowdray Park and Lupane.”

Regularisation

In an interview with The Sunday Mail, National Housing and Social Amenities Minister Zhemu Soda said regularisation involved upgrading informal settlements through the provision of requisite on-site and off-site services and tenure.

“Government is embarking on a wholesale regularisation programme across the country to address the double-edged sword of dysfunctional settlements and the scourge of land barons,” he said.

“The regularisation process entails regularising land ownership through the issuance of offer letters, layout planning and approval, production of engineering designs and approval, construction of infrastructure, issuance of a compliance certificate by the planning authority and transfer of title deeds by the landowner.

“In the case of Epworth, designs for water treatment for the whole of Epworth have been completed by consulting engineers, whilst the same for water distribution for the whole of Epworth is complete.

“We are now mobilising resources from the private sector through our partnership with Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential Title Deeds Trust.

“In Southlea Park, the layout plan was already done, so were the designs. All we are now doing is mobilise funding through the trust, again to construct the required infrastructure.

“In Mutare, the Gimboki South project is under partial servicing, where work on water reticulation is currently 89 percent complete. In Lupane, sanitisation of Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle is at 65 percent.”

Other regularisation projects underway at local authority level, said Minister Soda, included Murisa, under the Manyame Rural District Council, as well as Chitungwiza Municipality.

“Bulawayo City is also working on Cowdray Park water and sewer reticulation,” he said. “Resources will be mobilised for the road infrastructure, which is the most expensive component of servicing stands.

“In Gwanda, we are working on the Garikai/Hlalani Kuhle project. We are waiting for the release of resources to kick-start the works.”