Online Reporter
Tendai Gukutikwa
Post Reporter
THE Government has intensified efforts to secure land rights for approximately 360 000 people through an accelerated land tenure regularisation programme, with plans to establish one-stop service centres designed to fast-track the processing of title deeds and unlock the economic value of land.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, Dr Prosper Matondi, said authorities are strengthening the Land Tenure Implementation Programme, launched in 2024, to ensure that beneficiaries gain secure and legally recognised rights to the land they occupy.
Dr Matondi made the remarks during a panel discussion at the Public Service Retirement Conference held in Mutare last week.
While nearly 2 000 title deeds have been processed since the programme’s inception, he said Government is now introducing reforms aimed at dramatically increasing that figure.
“The most important tool we have on our table is the Land Tenure Implementation Programme, which we are rolling out. Government is moving to accelerate the process by streamlining land administration and bringing key ministries, local authorities and financial institutions together under a one-stop-centre model.
“We want to transform the 360 000 people who are occupying land. Currently, since the programme began in 2024, we have only done less than 2 000,” he said.
The programme forms part of wider Government efforts to strengthen tenure security, encourage investment and unlock the economic potential of land across the country.
Dr Matondi acknowledged that progress has been slower than anticipated, attributing the low number of completed deeds to the complexity of the existing land administration system rather than a lack of commitment.
“The process is complex. It involves surveying, registration, valuation and conveyancing, and we have so many pieces of land registered across the country.
“It is very difficult now for anyone to register their rights through our existing systems,” he said.
To address these challenges, Government plans to consolidate services under a one-stop-centre framework that will bring together the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development, the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, the Ministry of Agriculture, local authorities and participating financial institutions.
The model is expected to simplify the process by enabling applicants to access multiple services under one roof, reducing delays and bureaucratic hurdles.
Dr Matondi said Government is also working closely with financial institutions to ensure that secure tenure can be leveraged to access funding for productive investments.
Participating banks include AFC Land Bank, CBZ, POSB and ZB Bank, while discussions are underway to bring additional financial institutions on board.
The reforms are expected to benefit rural communities and retirees in particular, providing opportunities to invest in agriculture, housing projects and other income-generating ventures.
Emphasising the importance of sustainable land management, Dr Matondi noted that Zimbabwe’s land resources are finite and must be safeguarded for future generations.
“Our land is a finite resource. We only have about 39 million hectares of land available to all of us, those who are here today and those who are not yet born. We have to guarantee that land for them,” he said.
He added that Government is strengthening land-use planning frameworks to curb the uncontrolled expansion of urban settlements into productive agricultural land.
“We are trying to put in place policies and planning systems that limit the extent to which our cities grow into agricultural land. We need to ensure that land remains available cheaply for agriculture and other productive sectors of the economy,” said Dr Matondi.
The Government is also accelerating surveying, demarcation and valuation processes to establish the economic value of land and enhance its contribution to national development.
Dr Matondi said secure land tenure is the key to unlocking the full economic potential of land.
“Land is an asset, but the land asset itself does not automatically unlock economic value. You need to unlock the rights, the contractual rights between those who are using the land and the rights to ownership,” he said.
He said Government wants beneficiaries to utilise land productively through agriculture, agro-processing, value addition and other economic activities that stimulate growth and create wealth.
The reforms are also expected to resolve long-standing disputes over land rights and occupation that have persisted for more than two decades.
“We want to allow 26 years of argument to finally be rested towards developing and working with investment, creativity and value, so that land makes a good contribution to our national economy,” he said.
Dr Matondi said the ultimate goal is not merely to issue title deeds, but to ensure that land rights are secure, enforceable and capable of supporting meaningful economic activity.
The accelerated programme is part of broader land administration reforms aimed at improving tenure security, attracting investment and transforming land into a powerful driver of national economic development.
Ends
