Cowdray Park residents back title deed rollout as council reconciles legacy payments

Cowdray Park residents back title deed rollout as council reconciles legacy payments

For all the News from Mashonaland Central, Join One of Our Groups

Residents of Cowdray Park in Bulawayo have voted to accept the Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential title deed programme, clearing the way for the formalisation of thousands of households in the suburb, according to a report by NewsDay.

The decision followed a final round of community engagement meetings held this week, with voting conducted across all 31 segments of Cowdray Park. NewsDay reported that 21 segments voted in favour of joining the programme, while 10 rejected it.

While the meetings were reported to have been largely peaceful, NewsDay said initial voting revealed some resistance linked to long-standing disputes with Bulawayo City Council, particularly over previous payments residents said they made towards infrastructure development.

Residents raised concerns about a lack of clarity on how earlier development fees were used, with some calling for accountability before fully committing to the new programme. In response, the Bulawayo City Council works department told residents the funds had gone towards service delivery, according to NewsDay.

The council also provided an update on infrastructure progress in Cowdray Park, saying water reticulation is 97% complete, sewer coverage stands at 30% and road development is at 5%.

“Council is currently reconciling those payments to provide residents with a full account,” the council was quoted as saying.

The Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential title deed programme was approved by the City of Bulawayo in April 2025 and was officially launched by Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube at Cowdray Park Primary School in October 2025. NewsDay said the local rollout forms part of a wider national initiative announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2022 to regularise informal settlements and issue title deeds to qualifying households on State land.

Cowdray Park Member of Parliament Arthur Mujeyi told the meeting that development would start in areas that had accepted the programme, with further engagement continuing in segments that were not yet in agreement.

“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 also attended, advised that rejection by some segments could not stop the broader process if the majority supported it. She urged the council to develop a database of residents who previously paid development fees, and to ensure those contributions are taken into account within the Kwangu/Ngakwami framework, NewsDay reported.

To Advertise Inbox Us

Although Cowdray Park is outside Mashonaland Central, the vote is likely to be closely followed in towns and growth points across the province where residents face similar questions around land regularisation, legacy council payments, service delivery backlogs and the practical value of title deeds in accessing credit and protecting household property rights.

Follow Our WhatsApp Channel for all the News from Mashonaland Central – Bindura, Mbire, Guruve, Mount Darwin, Rushinga, Shamva, Mazowe & Muzarabani