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lure unsuspecting low-income earners.
“We have a lot of cases of people being swindled, but this can be avoided if people approach us and confirm with us if the sellers of the land are approved to sell and are genuine,” Mrs Mlalazi said.
Her department has a list of approved schemes in the area and other places in Greater Harare where residential stands are being serviced.
“We have a register of records of approved schemes on State land not only in Harare but all provinces. All this information is readily available and would-be land seekers can inquire from our offices to avoid being swindled,” Mrs Mlalazi said.
She said once there is State land earmarked for urban expansion, the Ministry of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development may make arrangements either with private land developers and co-operatives and develop the land under a memorandum of agreement with conditions.
Some of the conditions given to co-operatives and land developers are provision of infrastructure then the land gets allocated to individuals including civil servants and the co-operatives.
The co-operative or developer may not sell the land until it is fully serviced in accordance with the MOU.
Mrs Mlalazi said if anyone was selling land, they have to be holders of documents such as an offer letter from the Ministry of Local Government or Harare Metropolitan Province Governor’s Office and an approval permit from the Physical Planning Department.
Other documents include a stamped layout approval accompanied by a document explaining the approval of the scheme.
“Anyone intending to buy from a co-operative or land developer should also insist to see the memorandum of agreement from the Local Government or Governor’s Office. Any housing scheme can be cross-checked by these documents,” she said.
Mrs Mlalazi said title deeds of land can be checked at the Registrar of Deeds Office.
Investigations have revealed that most bogus land developers target existing housing projects where they sell land owned by the State.
Most of the land will be earmarked for development but processes that require the land to be sold will not have been approved by the Department of Physical Planning and Urban Planning Department, thus the buyer may lose out in the end.
Some of the bogus co-operatives and developers when confronted by The Herald at first claimed that they were selling stands, but later changed their positions saying the money was for servicing land.
Harare East Housing Co-operative Union chairman Mr Nelson Mandizvidza said the co-operative which co-ordinates 40 smaller co-operatives at Caledonia Farm was concerned with the bogus co-operatives selling stands belonging to their member unions.
“We have some people invading our projects and selling stands illegally. So we urge people not to buy any stand from unregistered co-operatives,” Mr Mandizvidza said.
He said they recently won a court case (number HC7780/11) against co-operatives which swindled over 44 desperate home seekers by selling and allocating them stands in Caledonia which in fact belonged to other beneficiaries.
Similar problems have also arisen in Hatcliffe.
Online Reporter