What Zimbabwe’s new land reform entails
Taffi Nyamwanza
Zimbabwe government has announced that it will forthwith issue title deeds to “indigenous people” who got farms under the controversial land reform programme, which started in 2000.
This is a hugely significant announcement.
But what will be its impact?
1. The announcement is just that for now, an announcement. There is no legal instrument for its implementation yet even if the announcement is made pursuant to the constitution. We are told that a cabinet-level committee has been set up to implement.
2. We are told that this is intended to unlock value in farm land held by those with offer letters and 99-year leases. The words used are that this will make the land – “bankable, registrable and transferable”.
3. We are told that the secondary market will be restricted to indigenous people only.
4. Priority will be to war veterans, the youth and the women. (Ma league).
5. We are also told that to the policy shift is intended to ensure security of tenure and boost production. Presumably, you are more likely to put up structures on a piece of land that you actually own.
6. And true, banks are more likely to lend to those with title rather than offer letters which, as we have seen, could be withdrawn at the whim of government if you were in the ‘wrong basket’.
7. But why now? Why 24 years later? The logical explaination might be that all previous holders of title have now gone away, been paid off, died, emigrated, and that the land is now unencumbered. Is this true though?
8. The cynical me thinks that this is a result of heavy lobbying by ‘special interests’ – land barons, banks and trojan horses / foreign elements.
9. But what caught my ear was the preface of the announcement by the relevant minister – most of the holders of offer letters have been borrowing from the banks anyway – and not paying back, leaving the government saddled with the debts. So this move is meant to give comfort to the banks?
