Epworth residents’ associations accused of fleecing residents of money promising to reverse the ED Title Deeds Scheme

 

The Epworth Local Authority is accusing residents’ associations in the dormitory settlement of duping residents of their hard earned money promising them to reverse the Presidential title deeds programme claiming the process resulted in the downsizing of their residential stands.

 

The residents’ associations are allegedly providing false information to residents misleading them that the local authority deceived them by downsizing their land using a “bogus” and “unapproved” new lay-out plan.

 

This is despite the map being approved by the Department of Physical Planning which is under the Ministry of Local Government and National Housing and the National Surveyor General.

 

Kushinga Epworth Residents Trust(KERT) and Epworth Urban Residents Association (EURA) have come under fire from the local board for allegedly being behind the scam.

 

“There are residents’ associations in Epworth namely Kushinga Epworth Residents Trust and Epworth Urban Residents Association who are allegedly providing false information to residents about the regurlarisation programme which is being carried out under the ED Title programme, accusing the Epworth council of using a bogus map, despite the map being approved by the Surveyor General,” said Epworth Local Board Director of Housing, Dennis Muranduri.

 

No comment could be obtained from the accused residents’ associations at the time of writing.

 

The ED title deeds programme is meant to provide certified housing documents for illegal settlements which were not formally registered by their Local Councils

 

Upon slanting false information to the residents, the associations are allegedly influencing the occupants of the “downsized” stands to defy the Local Authority’s and Government’s inventiveness and challenge the process at the courts.

 

In doing so, the residents’ associations are instructing them to pay undisclosed amounts of money which are inflated to the purported legal representation payments.

 

This has presented them with an opportunity to pocket the difference.

 

“At one point every individual was meant to pay US$10 for legal representation to a human rights law organisation but the resident’s association made them pay US $90 per person, fleecing them of US$80 each,” said the Epworth Local Board Director of Housing.

 

The Presidential title deeds programme in Epworth has strengthened since its commencement last year with over 23 000 title deeds being issued in the Harare East Suburb but the Local Authority says they could have reached the 30 000 figure, if there were no hindrances and delays influenced by the residents’ associations.

 

“We spent almost a year going to court after these residents’ associations filed pointless appeals at the court against the local authority, hence slowing down progress as operations were put on standby as we were attending to court procedures thereby delaying the Presidential Entitlement Programme”, said Muranduri.

 

Residents who spoke to our news crew expressed anger in the residents’ associations describing them as “phonies” who have taken advantage of people with less knowledge, mainly the elderly and the disadvantaged, to disrupt the Presidential Title Deeds Programme in a bid to swindle people’s money after the misperception.

 

“This is disappointing. These people want to make easy money out of innocent people through deception, in so doing inconveniencing us by slowing down development in our area,” said one resident who spoke on condition of anonymity fearing victimization.

 

The residents have called upon the government, through the Zimbabwe Republic Police, to investigate these organisations who have duped even disabled, widows and orphaned residents.

 

“We call upon the police to please assist in this sad development happening in Epworth. Less privileged persons were the most affected,” said another resident who refused to be named.

 

The Epworth Local Board is raising awareness in the area informing residents to be wary of such organisations who are fleecing hundreds of their hard earned money after misleading them on the happenings at the local authority.

 

“We urge residents to be cautious when communicating council business with residents’ associations, we urge them to visit the Council offices for correct and accurate information,” said Muranduri.