By Delicious Mathuthu
After a long process, Gweru City Council has finally approved the disposal of about 204 housing units in Mtapa 2,3,4,5 and 6, allowing tenants to purchase the homes.
The decision, made through a recent council resolution, aims to address the long-standing demand for home ownership in the high-density suburb of Mtapa.
Council prioritized the sale of the units to legally occupying tenants, their widows, widowers or minors/orphans with document proof, offering them the first opportunity to purchase their homes, as they are, with immediate effect.
Remaining units will be sold to current occupants, paying particular attention to the number of years they have lived there.
“We want to ensure that those who have been living in these houses for years are given the opportunity to own them,” said Councilor William Mazango, Chairperson of the Health and Housing Committee.
“Our laws state that if a person occupies a council house for over 30 years, they are supposed to be given a chance to purchase the house,” he said.
Councilor Mazango said the local authority will calculate discounts based on the number of years the occupants have lived in the units.
“For example like I have here, a housing unit that costs US$10,360 for someone who has been staying there for over 21 years, means the department of housing is going to calculate a discount based on those number of years,” he said.
He also added that those who have lived there for over 30 years will receive a discount on land, but will pay all other costs.
The adoption of the recommendation from the Health and Housing Committee was proposed by Ward 8 Councilor, Jackos Manyanga, and seconded by Ward 5 Councilor, Aaron Mumvana, leading to the resolution.
The development marks a significant milestone in the residents’ decades-long struggle for legal ownership of their homes and an opportunity to improve their living conditions.
The tenants could not extend the houses, or construct ablution facilities as the properties still belong to council, which was struggling to maintain or upgrade them.
Some of the residents however, are concerned about the fees required for the ownership, which some feel are unaffordable.
One resident who has been a tenant for over 40 years now, fears she would struggle to raise the required money needed to complete the ownership process.
The development comes after years of lobbying by residents and one of the residents associations, the Gweru United Progressive Residents and Ratepayers Development Association (GUPRARDA) led by its Director, Pastor David Chikore.
In 2021, Council had agreed to grant ownership of the properties, then estimated to be about 198, to occupying families in Mtapa suburb.
The process, however, was delayed despite concerns about overcrowding, lack of privacy, and unaffordable rentals said to be charged by the local authority.
Residents have been living in cramped conditions, with some families sharing one room and lacking proper ablution facilities, raising health concerns.
In a dire example of the living conditions in the concerned housing units, 12 people were sharing one room leading to overcrowding and lack of privacy.
In another section of the suburb, in Mtapa Section 3, about 41 families were using one old public toilet.
Another residents association, Gweru Residents Forum (GRF) led by its Director, Charles Mazorodze, constructed about 22 toilets in Mtapa Section 3 to try and avert the health crisis for the residents, promising to construct more with time.
The houses were built before independence, in the early 1940s, which include one roomed and semi-detached houses meant for working bachelors during the colonial era.
In 2021, the then Mayor, Dr. Josiah Makombe, said priority will be given to the elderly occupants while others will be offered subsidized residential stands in new suburbs as a method of decongesting the areas.
In 2022, with Alderman Hamutendi Kombayi as Mayor, Councilors ordered an investigation into the occupants to ensure that senior citizens who have been residing in the houses for decades are protected, and receive ownership titles.
The investigation was ordered due to allegations that new tenants had moved into some of the houses after getting wind of the intended granting of ownership, potentially abusing the process.
