Vusumuzi Dube
Robin Muchetu, Senior Reporter
TENANTS that have stayed for long periods in local authority-owned houses will benefit from the Presidential Title Deeds program that has seen urban and peri urban dwellers getting formal documents for their places of residence.
This was highlighted during a Post Cabinet Briefing on Tuesday evening.
“Cabinet considered and approved the Provision of Title Deeds to Urban and Peri-Urban Housing Developments on State and Local Authority Land, which was presented by the Minister of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Honourable Ziyambi Ziyambi, as Acting Minister of National Housing and Social Amenities.
The issuance of title deeds to developments on State and Local Authority Land is part of the Presidential Title Deeds and Settlement Regularisation Programme, which was launched by His Excellency the President in Epworth on 22 April 2023,” reads the briefing.
Earlier in the year residents of Epworth benefited from the scheme and numbers have increased to 11 200, thereby unlocking value for the recipients through financial inclusion.
“The programme will be rolled out in other provinces. It is pertinent to note that the Presidential Programme will include the issuance of title deeds to long-standing sitting tenants in local authority houses. Cabinet has further directed that the programme be extended to cover Growth Points and Rural Service Centres. The decision will result in accelerated rural infrastructure development and industrial transformation,” Cabinet was told.
The programme for the Provision of Title Deeds to Urban and Peri-Urban Housing Developments on State and Local Authority Land will be implemented through the Whole-of-Government Approach, which incorporates a Working Committee of Officials and a Special Purpose Vehicle comprising banks, engineering and construction companies in a Public Private Partnership arrangement in order to accelerate implementation of this programme.
The Special Purpose Vehicle will implement the programme, while the Working Committee oversees it. A Ministerial Task Force will, in turn, coordinate the Working Committee of Officials.
Named Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential Title Deeds Programme Consortium, the Special Purpose Vehicle will, among others, undertake the following functions Provision of the financial and technical support required for the issuance of the title deeds, coordination for the floating of Infrastructure Bonds for purposes of raising additional funding for the Programme; and collection and management of funds.
The Programme for the Provision of Title Deeds to Urban and Peri-Urban Housing Developments on State and Local Authority Land will eliminate the scourge of land barons, in addition to promoting access to land and security of tenure for beneficiaries.
“In general, the issuance of title deeds will unlock the value of land assets, and improve revenue collection at the national and local levels. The PPP arrangement ensures efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of the deeds issuance programme,” it further read.
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