Statement by Ben Freeth, Spokesperson for SADC Tribunal Rights Watch, Zimbabwe, regarding the Zimbabwean government’s issuance of title deeds to holders of land expropriated from white commercial farmers:
<blockquote>
SADC Tribunal Rights Watch is concerned about the Zimbabwe government’s current plans, overseen by the highly controversial and US-sanctioned businessman, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, to issue “title deeds” for farms that already have legally issued title deeds owned by former white commercial farmers, small holders, members of the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA) whose properties were seized, and others.
These title deed owners have not been compensated for their land, despite having final and binding court judgments which confirm that such original title deeds are still bona fide.
At an event on President Mnangagwa’s Precabe farm near Kwekwe on Friday 20 December 2024, a handful of farmers, including Mnangagwa, received “title deeds” to the farms they are currently on.”
Such deeds fly in the face of international law and the Southern African Development Community’s SADC Treaty of 1992.
The final and binding judgement of the Southern African Development Community’s SADC Tribunal in the Campbell case, will render these new “title deeds” unbankable and, in the final analysis, worthless unless there is first a full and fair settlement with the owners of the original title deeds.
In 2008, the tribunal found for a group of Zimbabwean farmers on the basis that they were deprived of their land without the right of access to the courts and the right to a fair hearing, both of which are essential human rights.
In this way, the tribunal held that the Zimbabwe government breached the provisions in the SADC Treaty: Mike Campbell (Pvt) Ltd and Others v Republic of Zimbabwe (28 November 2008).
As is the case with the various and numerous attempts to issue new currencies in the Zimbabwean economy — there have been six attempts in 15 years to replace the US dollar as the primary currency — these new “title deeds” will become worthless.
We fully support any initiative to issue bona fide title deeds on farms that have been authentically bought by the Zimbabwe Government and in communal areas where Zimbabweans have never enjoyed the benefits that freehold title deeds accrue to their owners.
We applaud governments like the Rwandan government and others for their bold move to issue many millions of bona fide freehold title deeds to their people and thereby emancipate those people, creating wealth for them and the country from “thin air”.
We are convinced that this, along with the firm establishment of the rule of law, is the fundamental game changer which will allow Africa to overcome poverty.
As the president of the African Development Bank, Dr Akinwumi Adesina pointed out in November 2023, “Our governments must realise their responsibility to lift people out of poverty and into wealth as quickly as possible.”
The current move by the Zimbabwe government to issue what have been described by some as “counterfeit title” will only create more confusion and stagnation in the agricultural economy and in Zimbabwe generally.
The Zimbabwe Government needs to return to the rule of law, re-establish justice systems, obey final and binding judgments such as the Campbell judgement in SADC Tribunal, and allow its people the freedom to develop by ensuring freehold title deeds are fully bankable and transferable to all Zimbabweans, irrespective of their political allegiance, tribe or race.
If this is done, the economy will grow exponentially in a dramatic and exciting way and investment will pour into the land of Zimbabwe, securing our status as a great African success story. 
</blockquote>

Pindula News

The Zimbabwe government is giving out new title deeds, but they are not real. People who already own the land legally are not being compensated. This goes against the law. The new title deeds are worthless and cannot be used in banks. The government needs to follow the law, issue real title deeds, and support the people to grow the economy. If they do this, Zimbabwe can become a successful country with lots of investment and opportunities for everyone.

"Zimbabwe Government’s Newly Issued 'Title deeds' Unbankable And Worthless"

President Emmerson Mnangagwa on Friday launched the Land Tenure Implementation Programme, a new policy that allows beneficiaries of the land reform programme to sell their land as well as use it as collateral to borrow from banks.
This represents a major change in Zimbabwe’s land policy, as previously resettled farmers were not allowed to transfer ownership.
However, land can only be sold or transferred to “indigenous Zimbabweans” (black Zimbabweans) and will require government approval.
The land reform, which began in 2000 under former President Robert Mugabe, saw tens of thousands of black Zimbabweans take over white-owned farms. 
The reform aimed to correct colonial-era land imbalances, but the new farmers were not allowed to sell or transfer land, which was considered state property.
This made it difficult for them to access bank loans, as they couldn’t use their land as collateral.
At a ceremony on his Pricabe Farm near Kwekwe, Mnangagwa and a few farmers received title deeds for their land.
He said that the new policy would help “unlock the value” of the land, making it both “bankable and transferable.” Said Mnangagwa:
<blockquote>
Land tenure security is critically important to Zimbabwe’s economic growth and development.
It encourages investment, improves agricultural production and productivity, and lifts many out of poverty into prosperity.
… the importance of more secure, bankable and transferable land tenure cannot be overstated. Such a tenure document is the ultimate empowerment tool for our farmers, especially war veterans and their children.
The title deed, which my Government has developed for issuance to farmers, will preserve security and spur investment for accelerated livelihoods’ upliftment and economic development.
My administration has, therefore, made a bold decision to empower the beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme by giving them tenure that will unlock the value of our land, allowing it to be used as collateral.
</blockquote>
Mnangagwa also announced a Land Tenure Technical Committee chaired by controversial businessman, Kudakwashe Tagwirei, to spearhead the process for other resettled black farmers.
Posting on X, former Harare East MP, Norman “Rusty” Markham, said:
<blockquote>
For the avoidance of doubt and the sake of clarity, KUDA in charge of the land tenure committee follows after abusing ZESA to a standstill from the Dema project, Kuvimba and MUTAPA shenanigans now controlled, now only the land left.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Zimbabwe's President Mnangagwa has a new policy where land reform beneficiaries can now sell or use land as collateral. In the past, they couldn't transfer ownership. Only black Zimbabweans can buy the land and government must approve. This helps farmers access bank loans. Mnangagwa says this will make the land more valuable and boost the economy. A committee will help other farmers get land titles. Some people are worried about who is leading the committee. The new policy aims to help farmers and boost the country's economy.

Mnangagwa Unveils Land Tenure Policy Granting Titles To Land Reform Beneficiaries

Farmers unions have welcomed the changes to the country’s land tenure system that were announced by the government on Tuesday.
Under the reformed system, beneficiaries of the land reform programme will now receive a bankable, registrable, and transferable document of tenure from the government.
The government said that these adjustments will unlock the full value of the land and boost the country’s overall economic performance.
In an interview with <a href="https://www.herald.co.zw/land-tenure-overhaul-heralds-new-era-for-farmers/">The Herald</a>, the Zimbabwe Farmers Union (ZFU) Secretary General said the new model will enable farmers to access capital from financial institutions. Said Zakariya:
<blockquote>
I think this settles a matter that has been long outstanding, the need for farmlands to be used as security for all agricultural borrowings or for borrowings related to farm development, including agricultural production.
So, over the last two decades, farmers were securing loans using properties outside the farmlands and that was not sustainable.
Number one, because of the size of the borrowings for instance, if you are using a house, that house would not secure a long-term asset.
So, before, the values were very low, because the assets outside the farms were also not carrying so much, you can imagine someone using their house in Budiriro to develop a commercial farm somewhere.
The transferability of land gives comfort to financiers, that if anyone, by any means, defaults on their loans, the bank now has a fallback, which means the debt can actually be financed by somebody else and the firm then transfers ownership to whoever may have financed the debt.
So, this is a game changer in terms of unlocking value on our land under the Land Reform Programme. And indeed other lands too. They had lost the value completely. They had zero value. Now, this restores value, the value of land.
</blockquote>
Zimbabwe Indigenous Women Farmers Association Trust (ZWIFAT) president Depinah Nkomo said the new land tenure system will allow farmers to develop infrastructure on their farms. She said:
<blockquote>
Now we will be very confident especially us women because we will be able to access financing and we will also be able to transfer ownership as stipulated.
Before this development, we were not even confident to build proper infrastructure on our land so the President has heard our cry and as women, we are very happy we can now start our projects confidently and freely because we will now have that security.
</blockquote>
Economist Prosper Chitambara, speaking to <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/local-news/article/200033401/new-land-laws-biggest-heist">NewsDay</a>, said the changes to the land tenure system are important not only for the land itself but also for Zimbabwe’s broader economic development. He said:
<blockquote>
I think it is critical in terms of ensuring the productive utilisation of the land and also unlocking full value, private sector investment and finance from private financial institutions while allowing land to be transferable.
That is one of the things a lot of scholars and observers have been advocating. I think that is the way to go to unlock the full value of land in Zimbabwe.
</blockquote>
Bankers Association of Zimbabwe (BAZ) president Lawrence Nyazema said that while the new land tenure system provides farmers with more secure and transferable land rights, banks will still need to see evidence of sound business plans and the ability to generate steady income streams. Said Nyazema:
<blockquote>
Land is not as collateral that a farmer can walk into a bank requesting a loan because he or she has land. A farmer must have a project that generates money.
It is very difficult for a farmer to just approach a bank and ask for money just because they have the land. If he or she fails to pay for the loan, the bank should be able remove them from the land.
It is prudent for the farmers to come up with project proposals that they can develop to make sure that they are able to access the funds and repay the loans.
</blockquote>
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Farmers' unions are happy about changes to land ownership. Now, farmers will get official documents for their land from the government. This will help them get loans to improve their farms. Women farmers are especially excited about building on their land. Economists think these changes are good for the economy too. Banks say farmers need to have good plans to get loans, not just land. Everyone agrees that these changes will make a big difference for farmers and the country's economy.

Farmers' Unions Hail Land Tenure Reforms As Game-Changer For Agricultural Sector

A 60-year-old Plumtree woman is reported to have collapsed and died on Monday after receiving an eviction notice from the Bulilima district administrator’s office.
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<div id="google_ads_iframe_/52555387/newsday.co.zw_750x300_300x250_0__container__">Reports suggest that she was part of a group of resettled farmers who were declared illegal settlers on State land. The DA’s office then gave the affected farmers 30-day notices to vacate the area or get forcibly removed. It is this notice that she could not withstand resulting in her sudden death.</div>
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Her death was confirmed by Matabeleland South police spokesperson Chief Inspector Philisani Ndebele. Ndebele said:
<blockquote>I don’t have the full details, but I received information of a sudden death of a 60-year-old woman from Thekwane area, who collapsed and died on Monday. I am still to get her full name and other details. Her body was conveyed to Plumtree District Hospital for post-mortem.</blockquote>
Following land audits which are still underway in the country, the government embarked on evictions of resettled farmers in December last year arguing that it was rationalising the land reform programme and weeding out illegal settlers.
More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2019/06/plumtree-granny-dies-after-receiving-eviction-notice/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">NewsDay</a>

Eviction Notice Cause Sudden Death Of A 60-Year-Old Lady

The US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert said that South Africa’s land reform policy is different from Zimbabwe’s.
She said this while addressing a press briefing, which was broadcast live on Thursday night. A journalist asked her if she believed the South African policy appeared to be similar to the land reform that had taken place in Zimbabwe. Nauert said the situations between the two countries were quite different. Said Nauert:
<blockquote>It may be easy for some to try to draw a comparison but there are very big differences. In Zimbabwe, we saw the government there squash civil society, shut down the media from doing their jobs in reporting and destroy an independent judiciary and we have not seen that happen in South Africa so I think they are different situations altogether.</blockquote>
She also said expropriation without compensation “would risk sending South Africa down the wrong path”.
More: <a href="https://www.news24.com/SouthAfrica/News/expropriation-without-compensation-would-risk-sending-sa-down-the-wrong-path-us-state-department-20180823">News24</a>

South Africa's Land Reform Is Different From Zimbabwe's: United States

War veterans Secretary General, Victor Matemadanda said war veterans want some farms taken from former President Robert Mugabe since the law clearly states that one man one farm.
War veterans handed over a petition to Zanu-PF to have Harare airport changed from Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport to another liberation war hero. Said Matemadanda:
<blockquote>Mugabe is a sellout and he should not continue to benefit from the fruits of the land. We are going to take some farms he has. How can one person have more than 21 farms</blockquote>
<hr/>
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<h3 class="entry-title"><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2018/03/05/mugabe-21-farms-leasing-farms-whites/" rel="bookmark">Mugabe Has 21 Farms, Has Been Leasing Farms To Whites</a></h3>
</li>
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More: <a href="http://www.zbc.co.zw/more-trouble-for-mugabe/">ZBC</a>

War Veterans Want Some Farms Taken From Mugabe

In an interview with 263Chat, Bethel Christian Party leader and presidential candidate, Dr Willard Mugadza says God is not happy with the manner in which the land reform program was done.
He also said that Zimbabweans must ask for forgiveness from white commercial farmers for black farmers to be blessed by God. Said Mugadza:
<blockquote>God is not happy with the manner in which we took the land, the land is very important, there are no two ways about it and it is not debatable. But the process that we used was not acceptable before God, therefore, it is important from a Christiab perspective that we ensure that we ask for forgiveness from the white commercial farmers’ in order for us to have our agricultural land and our own farmer blessed by God.</blockquote>
If elected, Mugadza said in his first 100 days, he will call for a meeting between his government and former commercial white farmers who lost their land through land invasions. He also said he would address the Gukurahundi atrocities using biblical principles. He said tt=he matter would be dealt with from the Office of the President and Cabinet (OPC).
More: <a href="https://263chat.com/god-not-happy-with-land-reform-aspiring-presidential-candidate/">263Chat</a>

God Not Happy With Land Reform, We Must Ask White Farmers For Forgiveness: Presidential Candidate

In a statement yesterday, Lands and Agriculture and Rural Settlement Minister Retired Air Chief Marshall Perrance Shiri warned that problem farmers risk losing their offer letters.
Shiri said problem farmers are the ones who do not fence their farms or subdivision or those who let their livestock roam freely in resettlement areas disrupting productivity on other farms. Said Shiri
<blockquote>Once a farm or subdivision is title surveyed, boundary fencing should commence within three months after that survey. Farmers who continue to be a problem risk having their offer letters withdrawn so as to enable production to continue without unnecessary interruptions from them.</blockquote>
More: <a href="http://www.chronicle.co.zw/problem-farmers-risk-losing-offer-letters-minister-shiri-declares/">Chronicle</a>

Problem Farmers Risk Losing Their Farms: Perrance Shiri

President Robert Mugabe said that the Zanu-PF Government never chased away whites and claimed that the whites ran away on their own and now they are trying to return. The white population in Zimbabwe left the country during the land reform when a number of them were killed during farm invasions.
Said Mugabe:
<blockquote>We never chased away whites from this country but….ivo vakangoti pfochopfocho kutiza… but they are now slowly trying to come back on their own… what has happened to South Africa and other places that you ran to? Those running industries we never chased them away. In the civil service at independence we wanted to count how many whites we had there but before we could do that, “vakangoti pfochopfocho kutiza”… fortunately, blacks who had been educated saved the day and filled the posts left vacant by the whites.</blockquote>
More: <a href="http://www.zbc.co.zw/2017/08/14/president-mugabe-mourns-cde-mahofa/">ZBC</a>

We never chased away whites from Zimbabwe: Mugabe

Addressing students at the Joint Command and Staff Course Number 30 in Harare on Thursday, Finance Minister Patrick Chinamasa revealed that Government plans to soon reduce huge farm sizes to meet demand  from other Zimbabweans who were in need of the land.
He also revealed that Government was working on ensuring beneficiaries of the land reform have proper documents that will enable them to access bank loans. Said Chinamasa:
<blockquote>We are doing this through the 99 year leases, and to do the 99 year lease we need to resurvey the land for the new boundaries. As you know the 11 or 12 million hectares were acquired compulsorily. We need to cut it up into small pieces. We now must establish the new boundaries as a prerequisite for granting 99 year leases.</blockquote>
Chinamasa also said that there will be surveys for both A1 and A2 farms.
More: <a href="http://www.herald.co.zw/goverment-to-cut-farm-sizes/">Herald</a>

Govt plans to reduce farm sizes

Mr John Gazi was reportedly denied land and evicted from a farm because he did not support the ruling party.  In a letter, supposedly authored by the Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement, John Gazi was denied land on the  basis that land was only for people who supported the government, while Mr Gazi was seeking to “topple the government.”
<img alt="lands_letter" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4559" decoding="async" height="960" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 720px) 100vw, 720px" src="http://www.pindula.co.zw/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter.jpg 720w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter-225x300.jpg 225w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter-600x800.jpg 600w" width="720"/>
<img alt="lands_letter2" class="alignnone size-full wp-image-4563" decoding="async" height="116" loading="lazy" sizes="(max-width: 639px) 100vw, 639px" src="http://www.pindula.co.zw/news/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter2.jpg" srcset="https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter2.jpg 639w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter2-300x54.jpg 300w, https://news.pindula.co.zw/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/lands_letter2-600x109.jpg 600w" width="639"/>
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