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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Reporter
A BULAWAYO widow has written to the City Council seeking to be the legal owner of a house in Njube suburb that she has been renting for 67 years.
The original tenant, one Mr Mwelwa Tembo left for Zambia 1966 and is reported to have died in a car accident.
Mr Tembo rented the house, stand number 52482 (E 185, Njube) from council from 1955 to 1966 before leaving for Zambia.
He left the house to Mr Francis Sithole and his wife Senzeni but unfortunately Mr Sithole died in 1983.
Mrs Senzeni Sithole continued staying in the house and paying rent to council until today.
According to the latest council report, the local authority tried to convert the property into home ownership in 1979 but Mr Tembo was nowhere to be found.
Mrs Sithole has since applied to Council to have the house registered in her name so that it can be converted to home ownership.
“I was legally married to Francis Sithole and my maiden name is Mpala. I and my husband stayed at E185 Njube with the registered tenant Mr Tembo since 1956. Mr Tembo had left his family in Zambia and I never knew them. Mr Tembo passed away in Zambia in 1966 whilst Mr Francis passed away in 1983.
“As I had become part of the Tembo family, I continued staying at house number E 185 to date. I, therefore, plead with the city fathers that I be re-allocated the property in question as this is the only shelter over my head with my family to the third generation,” reads Mrs Sithole’s affidavit to council.
Director of Housing and Community Services, Mr Dictor Khumalo informed councillors that a request had been received from Mrs Sithole (nee Mpala) that she be considered and re-allocated the house since the tenant Mr Mwelwa Tembo left the property for Zambia.
“The department had circulated the application to other departments who then responded as follows; the financial director had no objection but the stand had a balance of $65 627 that was owed to council as of 31st December 2022.
“It was recommended that they clear the balance before the application can be considered. The Chamber Secretary had no objection to the department’s view to converting the stand property into home ownership with the sitting tenant being afforded the right of first refusal, considering that Mrs Sithole had been in occupation of the premises to the exclusion of the registered tenant.
“The City Valuer advised that there were no adverse comments on the re-allocation of the stand to the sitting tenant. The acting director of engineering services had no objection to the above request.
“The Department’s view was that the property be converted into home ownership and be allocated to the sitting tenant,” reads the council report.
The meeting resolved that Mrs Sithole be regularised to rent the property and apply for home ownership in terms of policy while the City Valuer recommended that the selling price of the stand be discounted price for the number of years in occupation by Mrs Sithole.
A news crew went to the house several times since last Thursday to speak to Mrs Sithole but there was no one at home.
Meanwhile, council reports that a total of 410 houses have been converted from rented to home ownership in Iminyela, Mabuthweni and Emganwini out of a combined total of 3 214 houses from the three suburbs.
The report said 175 houses in Iminyela, 206 in Mabuthweni and 39 in Emganwini are yet to be converted to home ownership.
In Mzilikazi/Makokoba suburbs, 1 567 houses have been converted to home ownership out of a total of 2 283 units and 716 units are yet to be converted. – @skhumoyo2000.
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