KEY POINTS

• Zimbabwe expects Cabinet approval for its new land policy by the end of 2026.

• The policy aims to strengthen property rights and improve farmers’ access to investment and financing.

• The government says it has paid $800 million of the $3.5 billion compensation agreed with former white commercial farmers.

Zimbabwe is finalising a new land policy aimed at strengthening property rights for farmers resettled on land seized from white commercial farmers during the country’s controversial land reform programme in 2000.

The policy is expected to receive Cabinet approval by the end of 2026 and is intended to provide greater security for landholders while improving agricultural investment and supporting rural economic development.

Vangelis Haritatos, Zimbabwe’s Minister of Lands and Rural Development, said the government was working on the final draft of the policy during an interview in Bulawayo, the country’s second-largest city.

Haritatos said the proposed framework would make land reform irreversible while helping transform the rural economy.

Government seeks to formalise land ownership

Zimbabwe’s land reform programme accelerated in 2000 under then-President Robert Mugabe, who encouraged black subsistence farmers and young people to occupy farms owned by white commercial farmers.

The government defended the seizures as a way to address historical inequalities stemming from colonial-era land ownership, when a disproportionate share of productive farmland was held by the white minority.

However, the programme was followed by a sharp decline in agricultural production. Many resettled farmers lacked formal ownership documents, limiting their ability to use the land as collateral to secure loans and finance farming operations.

The absence of clear and transferable property rights has remained a major obstacle to agricultural investment, as farmers have struggled to obtain the financing needed to expand production, purchase equipment and improve infrastructure.

The proposed policy is expected to establish a more structured land administration system and provide greater certainty for people who received land under the reform programme.

Zimbabwe continues compensation payments

The land seizures also contributed to strained relations between Zimbabwe and the international community, with the programme becoming a major source of political and economic controversy.

In 2020, the government agreed to pay $3.5 billion in compensation to white commercial farmers whose land was taken during the reform process, as part of efforts to address outstanding disputes and improve international relations.

Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube said the government had so far disbursed approximately $800 million through cash payments and Treasury bills.

The compensation arrangement was intended to address losses associated with improvements made to the farms, rather than reverse the land redistribution programme itself.

The new policy is being developed against this backdrop, as Zimbabwe seeks to maintain the redistribution of agricultural land while addressing questions surrounding ownership security, financing and productive use.

Women and young farmers included

Haritatos told lawmakers that the policy would consolidate the gains of land reform by promoting an inclusive, transparent and equitable land administration system.

He said the framework would protect legitimate landowners while expanding opportunities for women, young people and other vulnerable groups.

If implemented effectively, clearer land rights could help farmers attract investment, access financing and make longer-term decisions about agricultural production.

However, the policy’s practical impact will depend on its final provisions, the legal protections it establishes and how consistently the government implements the new framework.

Cabinet approval is expected before the end of 2026, although the government has yet to announce a specific date for the decision.