Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
ZIMBABWE is set to embark on a long-term spatial land-use planning exercise that will guide the use of every parcel of land in the country over the next five decades, as Government moves to address land disputes, improve planning and unlock development opportunities.
This comes amid growing concerns over the proliferation of illegal settlements, unregulated business centres and infrastructure developments, including fuel stations, on land reserved for agriculture and other designated purposes.
In an interview during the World Rural Development Day commemorations in Harare last week, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development Professor Prosper Matondi said Government was developing a modern land cadastre and spatial planning system that would redefine how land is managed across the country.
A land cadastre is a comprehensive digital record containing information on land parcels, including boundaries, ownership details and designated uses. Prof Matondi said the new system would ensure that every piece of land is properly mapped, helping to prevent conflicts arising from unclear boundaries and competing land uses.
“Once we have put all this data together, we digitise it and start offering different forms of services with a national data system that has our land attributes, that we then transition to a land cadastre system,” he said.
He said land disputes, particularly those arising from boundary disagreements, had become a major challenge that required a scientific and coordinated approach.
“The purpose (of a cadastre system) is to bring people together to know that this is your boundary, this is my boundary. It should not be a source of conflict,” Prof Matondi said.
The planned 50-year spatial land-use framework will guide where different activities should occur, including agriculture, urban expansion, industry, transport infrastructure and conservation. He said the absence of proper long-term planning had resulted in developments taking place in areas where they could conflict with future national projects.
“If you are going to be on a trunk road and you want to have your farm there, you think it is nice to be closer to a main road, but we will tell you that we are going to put eight lanes in the next 30 or 40 years. That is land-use planning,” he said.
Government also intends to establish a single national land registry to replace fragmented and outdated systems currently being used to manage land information.
He said some existing records were stored using obsolete technologies, creating challenges in verifying ownership and processing land-related services. The latest interventions are expected to accelerate the issuance of title deeds, which the Government has identified as critical to improving the security of tenure among farmers.
Prof Matondi said the title deeds programme was facing delays due to challenges around land mapping, diagrams and unresolved disputes.
“People are getting stuck in particular steps, especially those that have to do with maps and diagrams and those that have got to do with land disputes,” he said.
Government, he added, was deliberately maintaining strict verification procedures to ensure that title deeds are only issued after confirming that land parcels are properly surveyed and free from disputes.
Beyond ownership issues, the spatial planning framework would support economic transformation by ensuring land is allocated according to its most productive use.
The system will help identify areas suitable for large-scale agriculture, medium-scale production, settlements and industrial development.
He said land should be viewed as more than just a physical asset, but as a driver of economic growth and improved livelihoods.
“Land is more than just what it is. It is heritage. It is soul. It is spiritual. It is everything,” he said.
The initiative is part of Government’s broader rural transformation agenda under Vision 2030, which seeks to promote coordinated development and ensure that no community or area is left behind.
