Tongaat urged to release title deeds as Chadzamira commissions Shineplus Park roads
TAWANDA HOMBA
CHIREDZI TOWN-Arguably the biggest employer in Masvingo Province, Tongaat Hullets Pvt (Pvt) with vast tracts of agriculture land in the lowveld has been urged to release the title deeds for donated residential land in Chiredzi Town.
The call was made by the Minister of State for Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Ezra Chadzamira during the commissioning of Shineplus Housing Development Trust roads in Shineplus Park recently.
Tangaat donated 925hectares of its agricultural land which was developed into residential stands by the Chiredzi Town Council in 2005 but has not released title deeds for final ownership to beneficiaries and Council.
“Title deeds of Shineplus houses and other housing schemes under the Tongaat Hullets donation are still in the name of the company. I kindly urge Tongaat Hullets to facilitate the Deed of Donation in order for beneficiaries to acquire title deeds for their properties.
“This will definitely empower the beneficiaries to access financial loans and other facilities which is in line with President’s vision of property rights like the program which we witnessed in Epworth Harare recently.
“The Government has set a target to put up 220 000 housing units by 2025,” said Chadzamira.
The donated land has resulted in Makondo High density suburb getting 3 500 housing units, Sweetvale has 400 stands that include commercial and industrial areas as well and Melbourne Park has 1000 units for medium density houses.
The partnership between Shineplus and Chiredzi Town Council penned in 2012 has seen 560 low density and 880 medium density stands being serviced with water, sewer reticulation and roads to completion.
Chiredzi Town Mayor, Alderman Gibson Hwende also weighed in and called upon the biggest sugar producer in the country to come to the party and ensure that beneficiaries of the housing stands take full ownership of the land.
“Although beneficiaries are paying rates to Council there is need to formalise ownership of the land and we have written to the company secretary for the title deeds through our lawyer, but until now we have not gotten any response,” said Alderman Hwende.
When contacted to give more light on the matter, Chiredzi TC lawyer Georgina Tsatsawani Ndava said she requires clearance from the Town Secretary Engineer Wesley Kauma to talk about the matter.
Efforts to talk to Eng Kauma were fruitless as his mobile phone was not being answered until the time of posting the story.
Minister Chadzamira officially commissioned 5.2km Shineplus Drive which is fully tarred and it connects the Shineplus Park with the Ngundu Chiredzi Highway. Other roads that have been fully surfaced in Shineplus Park are Chadzamira Drive, Bishop Nzuwa Drive and Chiredzi Drive.
Meanwhile Shineplus managing director, Tonderai Nzuwa announced that they have donated a low density stand to President Mnangagwa to continue with his charity work as he has spearheaded the housing development cluster under the National Development Strategy 1.