Online Reporter
Theseus Mauruki Shambare
LANDS and Rural Development Minister Vangelis Haritatos says Government has overhauled the country’s land administration system to improve security of tenure, eliminate duplication and make title processing more efficient.
Addressing a high-level stakeholder breakfast meeting in Harare this morning, Minister Haritatos said the reforms seek to create a secure, predictable and economically empowering land tenure system.
He said the reforms followed President Mnangagwa’s October 2024 directive to issue title deeds to bring finality to the fast-track land reform programme and empower citizens through secure tenure.
Minister Haritatos said farmers previously had to navigate fragmented processes involving the Ministry, Surveyor-General, Valuation Department and Deeds Office before obtaining land tenure documents.
“Each farmer carried the burden of navigating a system that was never designed with the citizen in mind,” he said.
Government has consequently established the One Stop Title Processing Centre, bringing key institutions under one coordinated system.
“The One Stop Centre is not just a building, it is a complete redesign of how Zimbabwe processes land tenure,” said Minister Haritatos.
He said the centre brings together the Surveyor-General, Valuation Department, legal compliance officers, banking institutions and the Deeds Office.
Minister Haritatos said the integrated system would allow applications to move through the various stages without farmers having to visit multiple offices.
He said Government had also consolidated three previously separate land databases into one integrated digital system to guard against double allocations.
“This integration is not cosmetic; it is transformational. It allows us to verify land parcels instantly, detect duplication before it happens, and maintain a single source of truth for all land records,” he said.
The electronic cadastre, or e-cadastre, is another key reform providing citizens with access to digital, georeferenced land maps.
“Every parcel is uniquely identified. Every boundary is digitally captured,” he said.
Minister Haritatos said the Zimbabwe Land Commission is also handling boundary disputes through investigations, mediation and recommendations based on law and evidence.
He said the Ministry would provide surveys and technical documentation to support the resolution of disputes, while citizens retain the right to approach the courts.
“Zimbabwe is entering a new era of land administration — an era where land tenure is secure, where processes are efficient, and where technology protects rights,” he said.
He said secure land tenure would give farmers confidence, investors certainty and greater stability.
