BULAWAYO City Council (BCC) has recorded a surge in the number of people on its housing waiting list, a development which shows a rise in demand for housing in Zimbabwe’s second largest city.
The developments are revealed in the latest council report.
According to BCC, updating and capturing the housing waiting list forms into the AS400 computer system was ongoing and as of May 2024, a accumulative total of 118 389 forms had been captured.
“In April 2024, a total of 116 691 forms had been captured into the AS400 computer system,” a report by BCC read.
For many years, Bulawayo’s housing waiting list has stayed slightly above 100 000 and has never gone down, but increases.
Meanwhile, on the update on Hlalani Kuhle/Garikai double allocation regularisation, BCC reported that at the beginning of the period under review, council had 24 unresolved cases.
Council also noted that 410 houses has been converted from rented accommodation to home ownership, while there were no changes in May 2024.
“In Mzilikazi/Makokoba, a total of 1 567 houses have so far been converted to home ownership. Out of a total of 2 283 units, 716 are yet to be converted,” the report said.
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On the construction of individual toilets, council said the programme resulted in 10 toilet units being completed and 217 partially complete at Iminyela, while 484 toilets have been done to date in Mabuthweni.
“A total of 1 331 units are still outstanding from the two suburbs. The committee considered the matter and councillors sought clarification on the report. They wanted to know the correct procedure of changing ownership. Residents need this information,” the minutes read.
“The chamber secretary Sikhangele Zhou explained that home ownership is mainly applied for by residents from high-density areas constructed before independence. Areas built after independence were on ownership. Residents from new high-density areas can apply for title deeds when the development conclusions are fulfilled.”
Indications are that there are relevant fees that are paid and residents can apply at their nearest housing offices.
“In the event of a deceased estate, the process starts with the registration at the Master of High Court offices. The estate can then be wound up after all processes required by the Master’s office are complied with.
“Council will then follow the letters of administration and final distribution account as applied by the Master’s office. Residents were encouraged to register estates of deceased family members in order to administer the house of a deceased family member.
“On the issue of leases, residents were advised to renew their leases. Once the lease holder passes on, the lease cannot be passed on. Council can consider a family member to take over a lease if they met requirements.”
Town clerk Christopher Dube advised that council has challenges with residents who owe huge amounts of money in leased properties and has, therefore, taken legal action against them, which may lead to termination of lease and eviction from the premises.
