Government adopts user-pay model to regularise illegal settlements, warns land barons
Government adopts user-pay model to regularise illegal settlements, warns land barons
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Government says it is rolling out a national programme to regularise and upgrade illegal settlements in urban and peri-urban areas, as authorities seek to restore order to land administration and expand access to serviced housing.
The programme targets settlements that emerged through illegal land allocations and the activities of land barons, which Government says have undermined proper urban planning and left communities without basic services such as roads, water and sewer systems.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said Government maintains a “zero-tolerance stance against illegal settlements and the activities of land barons” while working to progressively integrate affected communities into formal urban systems.
“Government has consistently maintained a zero-tolerance stance against illegal settlements and the activities of land barons,” Garwe said in an interview.
He said the stated objective is to transform “dysfunctional settlements into fully serviced communities” with roads, water, sewer, electricity, schools and health facilities.
Garwe said Cabinet approved the User Pay Principle in October 2025, allowing beneficiaries in some settlements to contribute towards the cost of infrastructure required for regularisation.
According to Garwe, the model is intended to speed up service delivery while promoting shared responsibility in urban development.
He said Government is also working on a framework with the Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities to strengthen local authority capacity in land administration, planning and enforcement, with reforms aimed at ensuring future growth is orderly and aligned with national development plans.
While the programme is national, the issues it seeks to address are also relevant to growing towns in Mashonaland Central, including Bindura and Mazowe, where demand for stands and housing continues to rise and residents are often urged to verify allocations through official local authority processes.
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