By A Correspondent| ZANU PF’s pledge to regularize informal settlements is progressing slowly, with just 11,000 title deeds issued in Harare’s vast Epworth suburb since 2023, according to sources.
The ruling party promised title deeds to residents of illegal settlements in the run-up to the August 2023 elections, aiming to regularize over 80,000 structures at risk of demolition.
A title deed legally defines property ownership and transfer, yet thousands of Epworth residents lack these documents after receiving land from alleged “land barons,” often linked to political figures.
Ahead of the election, the government introduced the Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential Title Deeds Programme Consortium to manage the financial and technical aspects of deed issuance.
Lands Minister Anxious Masuka, representing the government in Parliament, stated on Wednesday that only 11,000 title deeds have been distributed in Epworth so far. “The regularisation of these stands is crucial to uphold human dignity,” Masuka noted after lawmakers pressed for an update. He added that distribution would extend to Caledonia and other new suburbs.
Masuka also raised concerns over eviction notices still being issued to residents, despite government assurances on the regularization of informal settlements. Past demolitions in 2020 and 2021 left numerous property owners and informal traders with severe losses. Meanwhile, municipalities in Harare and Chitungwiza have taken a firm stance against illegal structures, especially those on wetlands.
A 2019 report from Justice Tendai Uchena’s land commission revealed that politically-connected figures, including land developers and housing co-operative leaders, had illegally sold $3 billion worth of state land, resulting in widespread unregulated settlements. Government data shows Harare Metropolitan Province has 52,000 houses in illegal settlements, with Chitungwiza alone accounting for 25,000 structures as of 2023.
Critics argue the regularization efforts in ZANU PF-controlled areas are primarily a vote-winning strategy, aimed at consolidating political support in contested urban regions.