Zimbabwean MPs Grill Lands Ministry Over Land Tenure Policy Changes

Zimbabwean members of Parliament grilled Lands Ministry Permanent Secretary Prosper Matondi over sweeping land policy inconsistencies. Lawmakers challenged newly introduced permit expiry dates and changes to long-term lease terms during an oral evidence session.

Parliamentary Clash Over Permit Expiry Dates and 99-Year Leases

Lawmakers on the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Lands and Rural Development confronted the Lands and Rural Development Ministry over shifting land tenure rules. During an oral evidence session with Lands Ministry Permanent Secretary Prosper Matondi, committee members questioned why the government had altered policies established in 2006 and 2007, when authorities issued 99-year leases carrying no expiry dates to new farmers.

Matondi revealed to the committee that the government is now issuing land permits with specific expiry dates to replace those earlier 99-year leases.

“We are saying you have told this committee that you created another permit with an expiry date. The previous minister and his secretary were issuing permits with no expiry date. What is causing all these changes within the same government?”

Felix Saul Maburutse, Chivi South MP and committee chairperson, via Newzimbabwe

Matondi defended the adjustment by pointing to an announcement of the effective date for registration of all title deeds by June 30, 2026. That explanation failed to satisfy committee leaders. Maburutse pressed the Permanent Secretary on where and by whom that critical deadline was communicated to the public, questioning whether it had ever appeared through official government channels.

Legislators Question Legal Authority and Policy Contradictions

The hearing exposed deep friction between technocrats and lawmakers over who holds the authority to reshape national land administration.

“Regarding the 99-year leases, you changed the policy. Whom did you tell about this policy reform? Do you want to steal land from the people? As Parliament, we craft these laws.”

Tendai Nyabani, Rushinga MP, via Newzimbabwe

Other lawmakers raised practical concerns regarding existing administrative documents. Bindura South MP Remigius Matangira questioned the logic behind shortening land title tenure, emphasizing that human life spans far exceed the newly reduced windows being proposed.

Administrative Backlogs and the Path Forward for Land Titling

Facing intense questioning from the committee, Matondi outlined the administrative hurdles plaguing Zimbabwe’s land sector. He noted that the ministry is confronting enormous problems in trying to jump-start a functional title deed program after 26 persistent years of land administration challenges. According to the Permanent Secretary, seven distinct types of offer letters remain in circulation nationwide, complicating uniform regulation. Furthermore, commercial banks initially rejected the original 99-year leases due to unfavorable clauses embedded within them.

We need to clarify the position of government.

The broader land tenure debate extends beyond legislative committee rooms. During previous parliamentary sessions, lawmakers also grilled Lands and Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka regarding grey areas in the newly introduced comprehensive land tenure document. Under those parallel verification procedures, holders of A1 and A2 permits or leases are required to surrender their existing documentation to ministry district offices nationwide for ownership checks before a three-year title deed issuance process begins.

As the June 30, 2026, registration deadline approaches, committee leadership maintained that civil servants alone cannot resolve public anxieties.