RESIDENTS of Iminyela and Mabutweni suburbs have accused Bulawayo City Council of refusing to give them title deeds for the houses they have occupied over the past 30 years.
Report by Blondie Ndebele Own correspondent
The disgruntled residents last Friday pleaded with the local authority to convert the houses from rental to home ownership.
“It is so embarrassing that so many years after independence, you find eight families sharing one toilet. We want to own these houses, but the council is not forthcoming on the issue,” said one of the residents.
They said they made the appeal for title deeds to council long back, but not much had been done.
However, council’s assistant housing and community services director, Dictor Khumalo, said the houses could not be converted into a home ownership scheme before the local authority had provided proper ablution facilities.
“The policy says these stands should be serviced before they are converted to home ownership and residents also owe council a lot of money for these houses, so they cannot be converted,” he said.
The concerns came amid reports that an estimated 70% of house owners in Bulawayo did not have title deeds.
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Meanwhile, Mpopoma residents have accused the local authority of diverting revenue generated at Mpopoma Hall and allowing the facility to crumble due to lack of maintenance.
“People pay quite a huge amount to use this hall.
“The money should be used to rehabilitate the hall.
“We are sceptical of where the money paid for the use of the hall is going,” said a resident.
“We want our resources to benefit our people, not to be diverted to other individuals.
“We are not asking for money from the city council, but there is a lot of money that is made in this hall every month.”
But Mpopoma councillor Elmon Mpofu said the local authority does not have money to service all its facilities.
“The council is struggling to pay its workers,
bills and is not able to rehabilitate the halls,” he said.
“Schools are usually the first priority in the council’s facilities rehabilitation programmes.
“Every money that we get as the council is firstly channeled to schools”
Council charges about $200 for use of the hall per each function.
