Farirai Machivenyika
Senior Reporter
THE Government is drawing up a new National Land Policy and a 50-year National Land Master Plan that will overhaul the way land is currently governed, registered, planned and utilised, while unlocking more land for investment and economic development.
The reforms, which are part of the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development’s 2027 programme, will introduce a single national land registry, digitally integrate land information systems and zone the country according to different economic activities, ranging from agriculture and livestock production to mining, manufacturing, tourism, energy and human settlements.
Lands and Rural Development Minister Vangelis Haritatos told Parliament’s Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo last week that the reforms were designed to strengthen land governance, secure land rights and ensure land contributes more effectively to Zimbabwe’s economic transformation.
“The ministry is finalising the new National Land Policy, which will strengthen land governance, secure land rights and ensure land contributes more effectively to economic transformation under Vision 2030,” Minister Haritatos said.
He said the policy will build on the gains of the Land Reform Programme by promoting an inclusive, transparent and equitable land administration system, while expanding opportunities for women, youths and vulnerable groups.
Minister Haritatos said the 50-year National Land Master Plan would provide a long-term, evidence-based framework for the systematic planning, allocation and utilisation of land across the country.
“We are working on the third aspect, being a 50-year National Land Master Plan. This is to establish a long-term evidence-based framework for systematic planning, allocation and utilisation of land nationwide,” he said.
Under the planned framework, the country will be comprehensively zoned according to its most appropriate economic and social uses, with land designated for agriculture, livestock, aquaculture, mining, manufacturing, tourism, energy and human settlements.
The Government also plans to establish a single national land registry, bringing land information into one central database under the Ministry of Lands.
“Moving on to the one sole land registry, the land policy requires that all land should be registered into a single database of the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, which is an authoritative, real-time record of every land parcel in Zimbabwe,” Minister Haritatos said.
The ministry will also accelerate the digitalisation and integration of land information and administration systems, reducing the need for direct interaction between officials and clients while strengthening transparency and curbing opportunities for corruption.
The reforms will be complemented by a national e-cadastre covering mining, urban and other land, creating an integrated digital platform for land administration.
The Government, Minister Haritatos added, would also act on findings from the Zimbabwe Land Commission audit and accelerate the National Land Survey Programme to facilitate the issuance of new bankable title deeds.
The programme is expected to survey the entire country, with surveys serving as a prerequisite for issuing the new title documents.
Another planned intervention is the introduction of a land-use tracker to monitor utilisation and promote specialisation according to the economic potential of different provinces.
The Government also intends to establish a database linking farmers and investors to facilitate joint ventures and improve production and productivity.
Minister Haritatos said the reforms were ultimately aimed at transforming the ministry into a major contributor to the fiscus through land-based revenue, cost recovery and new financing partnerships.
“We want to transform the ministry into a contributor to the fiscus,” he said.
A major component of the proposed financing model is the identification of two million hectares of land that could be used to help capitalise the AFC Land Bank.
Minister Haritatos said the land would remain State property but could be used as collateral to unlock financing for agriculture and establish an agricultural revolving fund.
“The land will remain State property. It will be used as collateral to generate funds and capitalise the bank and also provide for an agricultural revolving fund,” he said.
Meanwhile, the ministry is developing a rural development and industrialisation framework aimed at accelerating economic activity in rural areas through regional industrialisation hubs, rural service centres and agro-industrial parks.
The framework will also provide for special economic zones, stronger links between rural areas and economic corridors, agro-tourism and greater participation by women, youths and people with disabilities in rural transformation projects.
Minister Haritatos said the reforms would be accompanied by measures to accelerate surveying, strengthen accountability in productive land use, promote climate-smart agriculture and expand investment partnerships.
