The Government plans to regularise about 30 informal settlements nationwide under a user-pays funding model aimed at promoting fairness, sustainability and accountability in housing delivery.
The move forms part of broader housing reforms outlined in the National Development Strategy 2 (NDS2).
Settlements earmarked for regularisation include Harare South, Caledonia, Epworth, the Garikai project in Masvingo, Victoria Range in Masvingo, and Skei Farm under the Chegutu Rural District Council.
The programme will involve the provision of essential infrastructure, including clean water, sanitation, electricity, roads, schools, health centres and recreational facilities across all approved settlements.
Under the user-pays model, beneficiaries will meet the full cost of development. This includes payment for the land, servicing, infrastructure installation and other related expenses.
The model also provides for compensation to private or indigenous landowners whose land was occupied without following proper procedures, creating a transparent and legally binding arrangement between residents and landowners.
However, the Government has stressed that only land suitable for human settlement will be regularised.
Informal settlements located on wetlands, servitudes or land reserved for public amenities such as schools, clinics, roads and parks will not qualify.
Residents in these areas will instead be relocated to safer sites under a structured compensation and resettlement framework.
More: The Sunday Mail
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