Zimbabwe's government says a new National Land Policy meant to secure the rights of people resettled on former commercial farms is at its final draft, and Lands and Rural Development Minister Vangelis Haritatos expects cabinet to approve it before the end of the year.

"We are already on the final draft," Haritatos told Bloomberg in an interview in Bulawayo. He said the policy "guarantees that the land reform is irreversible and moves us safely into a transformative rural economy".

The policy has not yet been approved, and the government has not published the full text.

What the minister says is in it

Speaking to lawmakers at Parliament's 2027 Pre-Budget Seminar in Bulawayo last week, Haritatos said the ministry was "finalising the new National Land Policy, which will strengthen land governance, secure land rights and ensure land contributes more effectively to economic transformation", The Herald reported.

According to The Herald, the plans include:

a single national land registry, with every land parcel recorded in one database at the Ministry of Lands;

a national e-cadastre, a digital map of land parcels covering farming, mining and urban land;

a 50-year National Land Master Plan that would zone the country by use, from agriculture and mining to tourism, energy and housing;

a faster National Land Survey Programme, which the minister said is needed before "new bankable title deeds" can be issued;

a land-use tracker and a database linking farmers with investors for joint ventures.

Bloomberg reported that Haritatos told lawmakers the policy would promote "an inclusive, transparent and equitable land-administration system that protects legitimate landowners and expands opportunities for women, youth and vulnerable groups".

Why it matters

The farm seizures that began in 2000 left most new occupiers without formal ownership. As Bloomberg noted, the land never formally changed hands, so resettled farmers could not use it as collateral to borrow money to farm. Bankable title is the piece that would change that, which is why banks, farmers and investors will be watching what the final text says about ownership and transfer.

The policy also sits alongside compensation for former farm owners. In 2020 the government agreed to pay $3.5 billion, and Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube has said about $800 million has been paid so far in cash and treasury bills, according to Bloomberg.

What it means for the diaspora

Many Zimbabweans abroad own, inherit or help pay for land and homes back home. The new policy builds on reforms already under way. In an interview with The Sunday Mail, carried by The Herald, Haritatos said records for more than 360,000 land parcels are being digitised. Statutory Instrument 76 of 2025 gives owners 24 months to validate paper title deeds and convert them to digital ones, a deadline Zimbo Grapevine has explained here.

Until cabinet signs off and the text is published, the details of who gets title, on what terms, and at what cost remain to be confirmed. Zimbo Grapevine will update this story when it is.

Sources: Bloomberg via Moneyweb, 3 Nov 2026: https://www.moneyweb.co.za/news/africa/zimbabwe-readies-new-policy-that-will-entrench-property-rights/ · Bloomberg via News24, 1 Nov 2026: https://www.news24.com/business/economy/zimbabwe-readies-new-policy-that-will-entrench-property-rights-20261101-0552 · The Herald (Farirai Machivenyika): https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/govt-plans-50-year-master-plan-to-overhaul-land-management/ · The Herald / Sunday Mail: https://www.heraldonline.co.zw/govt-puts-360-000-land-parcels-on-digital-map/

Related: Title deed holders have until July 2027 to validate deeds, fee capped at US$215