Residents of Cowdray Park have given the green light to the Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential title deed program, paving the way for the formalization of thousands of households in the suburb.
The decision follows the conclusion of a final round of community engagement meetings this week, where residents voted across all 31 segments of the suburb.
While the meetings proceeded largely without incident, initial voting revealed pockets of resistance tied to unresolved historical grievances with the Bulawayo City Council.
A key concern raised by residents was the lack of clarity regarding previous payments made to the Council for infrastructure development.
Many expressed frustration over how those funds were utilized, with some calling for accountability before committing to the new program.
In response, the Bulawayo city council works department assured residents that the funds had been channelled into service delivery.
The council provided an update on infrastructure progress, noting that water reticulation in Cowdray Park is now 97% complete, while sewer coverage stands at 30%.
Roads lag behind at 5% completion.
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“Council is currently reconciling those payments to provide residents with a full account,” the council said.
The program, which was initially approved by the City of Bulawayo in April 2025 and officially launched by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube at Cowdray Park Primary School in October 2025, is part of a broader national initiative announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2022.
Its goal is to regularise informal settlements and issue title deeds to qualifying households on State land.
Addressing the meeting, Cowdray Park Member of Parliament (MP), Arthur Mujeyi, emphasised that development would proceed in segments that had accepted the program, while continuous engagement would be maintained with dissenting areas.
“Development will begin in the segments that have accepted the program. Continuous engagement will be maintained with those not yet fully aligned to the program," Mujeyi said.
Senator Collette Ndlovu, who was also in attendance, advised that the rejection of the program by some segments could not halt the overall process if the majority supported it.
She further urged the Council to compile a comprehensive database of residents who had previously paid development fees, and to ensure that these contributions are fairly considered within the framework of the Kwangu/Ngakwami initiative.
Following the engagement and clarifications, a formal vote was conducted across all segments.
Of the 31 segments, 21 voted in favour, while 10 rejected the program.
Program officials confirmed that the majority support clears the way for the rollout of the title deed initiative in Cowdray Park.
