Online Reporter
Blessings Chidakwa
Herald Reporter
PRESIDENT Mnangagwa has called for the swift completion of all unfinished projects in the country’s 10 provinces to ensure they bring value to the nation as it progresses towards Vision 2030, a Cabinet minister has said.
Furthermore, in a move aimed at bringing order to cities and towns, land developers will not be issued with title deeds unless they have provided on-site services, including water, sewerage, waste management systems and roads, among others.
For already existing informal settlements, the Government has directed that developers with financial and technical support should approach it to negotiate formalisation, and may be given alternative land as part payment.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe revealed this yesterday at the groundbreaking ceremony of West Properties’ new apartment hotel at Millennium Heights in Borrowdale suburb in Harare, to be managed by international firm, Radisson Hotel Group.
Minister Garwe said he was given the directive by President Mnangagwa on Tuesday, after Cabinet approved the Urban State Land Management Policy, which addresses several pillars, including governance and decentralisation, to ensure there is sanity in urban settlements.
“We inherited some legacy issues in terms of uncompleted projects,” he said.
“We have been given direction to complete all the remaining projects across the 10 provinces because it is dead equity and we are not generating any revenue. We must generate revenue by ensuring that we complete the projects.”
Minister Garwe said that under the Second Republic, citizens should be able to access services within their localities.
“We are all aware that everything that was happening in this country used to start in Harare. If it didn’t start in Harare, then it wasn’t considered important. His Excellency has now, through Devolution, said it has to start in Murambinda, Muzarabani, Bulawayo, let us go into every corner and part of this country,” he said.
Minister Garwe emphasised that no development should occur before on-site services are provided.
“We are saying we will only approve the processing of title deeds for developments that have provided water, sewerage and waste management systems, road construction and other necessary services.
“Once that is done, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works and its local authorities will then provide the necessary paperwork for the issuance of title deeds,” he said.
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