Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Mutare Bureau
GOVERNMENT is pursuing legal and institutional reforms to strengthen land tenure security, combat fraud and improve investor confidence in Zimbabwe’s property market, Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi has said.
Speaking through his Permanent Secretary, Mrs Vimbai Nyemba, during the official opening of the second Estate Agents Council (EAC) National Land Conference at a hotel in Vumba, Manicaland, on Thursday, Minister Ziyambi said reforms should create an efficient land administration system capable of unlocking investment, access to finance and sustainable socio-economic development.
The conference, held under the theme, “From Title to Capital: Delivering Bankable Tenure Through Data Integrity, Institutional Reform and Intergenerational Stewardship”, brought together property sector professionals and delegates from Zambia, Botswana and Rwanda.
Minister Ziyambi said secure land tenure should extend beyond the issuing of title deeds to establishing reliable systems that protect property rights and support economic activity.
“Our objective is clear as Government. We must reduce delays and uncertainty, strengthen safeguards against fraud and build confidence in the land market,” he said.
“In doing so, we can turn title into a practical pathway to investment, financial inclusion and sustainable socio-economic development.”
Minister Ziyambi said Zimbabwe’s legal and institutional frameworks must evolve in response to urbanisation, smart cities, digital conveyancing, new financial instruments and regional integration.
He also said the success of reforms should be measured by whether they improve citizens’ experiences and strengthen public confidence in institutions.
“True reform means systems that are accessible, efficient, transparent and responsive, with timely registration, reliable registries, effective dispute resolution and property rights that can be relied upon with certainty.”
The minister also emphasised the importance of accurate and verifiable land records in reducing disputes, protecting ownership and facilitating access to finance.
He said professional integrity among estate agents, conveyancers, valuers, planners, developers and financial partners was essential in protecting consumers and maintaining confidence in property transactions.
Minister Ziyambi said secure tenure needed to be supported by well-planned and serviced communities.
“A title deed secures a right in land, but it cannot on its own provide roads, water, electricity, schools or sanitation. Bankable tenure must therefore be part of a broader vision of well-planned, serviced and sustainable communities,” he said.
Minister Ziyambi called for collaboration between Government, local authorities, financial institutions, developers and professional bodies to strengthen land administration and support national development.
The remarks come as Zimbabwe implements the National Development Strategy 2 (2026–2030), which places emphasis on investment, housing development and improved service delivery.
Meanwhile, EAC chairman Mr Desire Dube has identified fragmented institutional processes, unreliable property records, fraud, inadequate infrastructure and tenure insecurity as some of the challenges affecting the property sector.
He said multiple and unverified land claims, falsified documents and the exploitation of home-seekers by land barons undermined consumer protection and confidence in the market.
“The land problem is not a silo problem; it is a co-ordination problem, and coordination requires a table. This Conference is that table,” he said.
Mr Dube said the conference’s agenda was aligned with NDS 2, particularly its objectives on land titling, housing development, infrastructure provision and access to mortgage finance.
He said a reliable land administration system was essential for translating national housing and development targets into practical outcomes.
“A million houses cannot be delivered by rhetoric. They will be delivered by a land administration system that is coherent, secure, digitally trustworthy, environmentally responsible and financially bankable,” Mr Dube said.
Mr Dube highlighted the importance of regional cooperation, saying experiences from Zambia, Botswana and Rwanda could inform Zimbabwe’s efforts to modernise land administration.
The conference is addressing land policy and regulation, market integrity, tenure and finance, planning and infrastructure, sustainability and innovation.
