Zimbabwe is moving to fully digitise the processing of title deeds as the government seeks to tackle land scams, double sales and other irregularities in property transactions.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe said the digital system would help improve transparency in land administration, protect property buyers and investors, and reduce delays associated with the previous paper-based process.
Garwe made the remarks during a panel session at the Zimbabwe Diaspora Business Summit in Birmingham, United Kingdom, on Friday, where he outlined government efforts to reform local governance and modernise land administration.
He said the government was also reviewing local government laws and regulations as part of a broader effort to improve the management of land and property across the country.
According to Garwe, the title deed process, which was previously handled through a cumbersome paper-based system, has now been digitised with support from the Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works.
“The process that we inherited was cumbersome and paper-based. Now the Deeds Office, supported by the Ministry of Justice and Ministry of Local Government, has digitised the whole process,” Garwe said.
“It is now a digital system… We are part of the global community, which is highly transformative and artificial intelligence-driven. So the processing of title deeds is now a digital matter.”
The government expects the digital system to make it more difficult for fraudulent transactions and multiple sales of the same piece of land to occur. It also aims to reduce bureaucratic delays and provide greater certainty for people buying property.
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Garwe acknowledged concerns over the cost of land and irregular land deals, particularly in urban areas, where he said some officials and councillors had been implicated in questionable transactions.
“In urban local authorities, I think that is where we have irregular land deals by officials and councillors to a certain extent,” he said.
He said the government had tightened legal instruments, including local authority by-laws, to address the problems.
The measures are intended to ensure that land is sold at realistic prices and that buyers who make payments do not subsequently face double sales or illegal transactions involving the same property.
The reforms are also expected to support Zimbabweans living abroad who invest in property at home.
Garwe said improving the security and transparency of land transactions was important for protecting diaspora investment and encouraging confidence in the property market.
The minister said people with specific land-related problems should submit properly documented cases to the relevant authorities for intervention.
The digitisation programme forms part of wider land-tenure reforms in Zimbabwe.
Recent government measures have also focused on issuing title deeds to homeowners in previously untitled settlements, with authorities arguing that secure property rights can give households greater certainty over their land and allow them to use property as an economic asset.
In August, the government said its wider land-tenure reforms were aimed at unlocking the economic value of land by providing secure, transferable and registrable title.
Officials said a digitised deeds system would allow financial institutions to verify ownership electronically and could make it easier for property holders to access financing.
Garwe also outlined plans to streamline the legal framework governing the country’s local authorities.
Zimbabwe has 92 local authorities, comprising 32 urban councils and 60 rural district councils. Garwe said his ministry’s legal team was working with the Attorney General’s Office to consolidate the country’s main local-government laws.
The Urban Councils Act, Rural District Councils Act and Regional, Town and Country Planning Act, together with more than 145 local by-laws, are being reviewed as part of efforts to create a more unified legal framework.
The government says the reforms are intended to reduce inconsistencies in local governance and improve the way councils administer land and provide services.
Garwe also rejected calls for dedicated local government offices to be established at Zimbabwean embassies to deal with property and land issues affecting citizens abroad.
He argued that creating additional offices would introduce another layer of bureaucracy and could interfere with the responsibilities of diplomatic missions.
Instead, he encouraged diaspora investors facing problems with local authorities to engage directly with government officials and provide documentation relating to their cases.
The push to digitise title deeds comes as Zimbabwe continues efforts to formalise property ownership and address problems associated with informal settlements and insecure land tenure.
The government has previously linked the issuance of title deeds to greater economic security, saying formal property ownership can allow homeowners to access finance, invest in their properties and build wealth.
More than 600 families had benefited from the government’s title deed programme by March 2026, according to government figures.
About the Author
Cecilia Attah is a tech analyst with a degree from Benue State University. She covers tech news and startups at TechRegard with a focus on how technology is transforming Africa and shaping the global landscape.
