RESIDENTS of Cowdray Park have given the greenlight to the Kwangu/Ngakwami Presidential Title Deed Programme, paving way for the formalisation of thousands of households in the suburb.
The decision follows the conclusion of a final round of community engagement meetings this week, where residents voted across all 31 segments of the suburb.
While the meetings largely were incident free, initial voting revealed pockets of resistance tied to unresolved historical grievances with the Bulawayo City Council.
A key concern raised by residents was lack of clarity regarding previous payments made to the council for infrastructure development.
Many expressed frustration over how the funds were utilised, with some calling for accountability before committing to the new programme.
In response, the Bulawayo City Council Department of Works assured residents that the funds were channelled to service delivery.
Council provided an update on infrastructure progress, noting that water reticulation in Cowdray Park is 97% complete, while sewer coverage stands at 30%.
The programme, which was initially approved by the City of Bulawayo in April 2025 and officially launched by Finance minister Mthuli Ncube at Cowdray Park Primary School six months later, is part of a broader national initiative announced by President Emmerson Mnangagwa in December 2022.
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Its goal is to regularise informal settlements and issue title deeds to qualifying households on State land.
Cowdray Park MP Arthur Mujeyi emphasised that development will proceed in segments that accepted the programme, while continuous engagement will be maintained with dissenting areas.
“Development will begin in the segments that have accepted the programme,” he said.
“Continuous engagement will be maintained with those not yet fully aligned to the programme.”
Senator Collette Ndlovu urged the local authority to compile a comprehensive database of residents who paid development fees and to ensure that such contributions are fairly considered within the framework of the Kwangu/Ngakwami initiative.
Following the engagement and clarifications, a formal vote was conducted across all segments.
Of the 31 segments, 21 voted in favour, while 10 rejected the programme.
Programme officials confirmed that the majority support clears the way for the rollout of the title deed initiative in Cowdray Park.
