Regularization of Nyatsime housing stands begin

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Nyatsime housing stands buyers queuing at the Municipality head office

Chitungwiza Municipality (CM) and Urban Development Corporation (UDCORP) have embarked on a verification of ownership and regularisation of Nyatsime housing stands on Monday 31 October. The exercise is likely to be precursor to the feared house demolitions and eviction of residents who illegally settled on land set aside for the housing scheme.

The exercise is being conducted at Chitungwiza Municipal head offices along Tilcor road and is set to continue for the rest of this week. Residents of Nyatsime wishing to have their ownership of housing stands verified and regularized are required to bring original identity cards, proof of payment in the form of original receipts from Chitungwiza Municiapality and US$11.  A computer search to confirm the payments and ownership will then be done and bonafide housing stand owners will be issued with a housing card bearing a stand number.

When Chitownews visited the municipal head office on Monday, a large group of Nyatsime residents could be seen queuing at the offices waiting for their turn to enter the offices and regularize their stands.

The exercise is expected to identify and flush out residents who illegally settled at the housing scheme after buying stands from land barons or informal housing co-operatives. Ironically, the illegal settlers heavily outnumber the genuine house owners and the exercise has divided Nyatsime residents into two antagonistic camps – the first and smaller group made of pioneering residents who bought stands from the municipality between 2007 and 2009 and the second much bigger group consisting of people who got their stands through ZANU PF aligned land barons and housing co-operatives.

Residents who bought their stands directly from the Municipality are supporting the exercise as it heralds the coming on board of the Chitungwiza Municipality and while those who got their stands through ZANU PF linked land barons are anxious fearing summary evictions.

“I am happy that the process of allocation of stands has begun because I paid for this stand in 2007 and I even topped up with United States Dollars when dollarization was introduced”, said Fredy Zinanga (48) of Unit K.

Mai Chitagu of Zengeza 5 was happy that the people are about to be shown the stands by Chitungwiza municipality nearly 10 years after paying for them.

“We paid for these stands long ago and by now the we must have finished building our houses but the municipality was reluctant to show us the stands”, said Chitagu.

 

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