HARARE
–
Lawyers
on
Wednesday
warned
that
the
government’s
retreat
on
its
handpicked
conveyancers
for
a
pilot
scheme
to
digitalise
title
deeds
resolves
only
part
of
the
problem,
and
that
property
owners
across
Zimbabwe
now
face
a
broader
fight
against
a
compulsory
deeds
re-registration
programme
that
could
saddle
them
with
costs
they
never
agreed
to
and
never
asked
for.
The
ministry
of
justice
backed
down
on
Wednesday
after
the
Law
Society
of
Zimbabwe
intervened,
agreeing
to
open
the
Title
Deeds
Validation
and
Re-Issuance
Pilot
Programme
to
all
registered
conveyancers
rather
than
a
government-selected
list
of
16
firms.
Advocate
Thabani
Mpofu,
who
had
criticised
the
government
move
to
handpick
conveyencers,
said
the
lawyers’
victory
should
not
obscure
what
remains
at
stake
for
ordinary
title
holders.
“The
ministry
of
justice
has
backed
down
and
will
no
longer
be
proceeding
with
its
obnoxious,
nepotistic
and
corrupt
title
deeds
pilot
project
after
a
fierce
fight
back
from
lawyers,”
Mpofu
said.
“Now
that
the
lawyers
have
prevailed,
the
public
must
now
fight
them
and
their
state.”
Under
Statutory
Instrument
76
of
2025,
all
property
owners
in
Zimbabwe
are
required
to
convert
their
existing
title
deeds
to
digital
format
within
two
years.
The
conversion
process
requires
engagement
of
a
conveyancer
–
meaning
legal
fees
will
be
unavoidable
for
every
title
holder
in
the
country,
regardless
of
whether
they
want
or
need
the
service.
Mpofu
questioned
the
constitutional
basis
of
that
obligation.
“Why
should
people
be
required
to
consult
lawyers
for
a
service
they
do
not
need?”
he
asked.
“How
is
a
91-year-old
titleholder
expected
to
afford
legal
fees
that
are
finagled
upon
them
without
consultation
or
their
consent?”
He
also
pressed
for
transparency
on
the
financial
architecture
of
the
programme,
raising
questions
that
the
government
has
not
yet
publicly
answered.
“How
much
will
the
state
charge
for
this
service,
and
who
will
benefit
from
those
charges?
Are
private
companies
providing
this
digitalisation
service,
and
who
is
behind
them?”
The
ultimate
question,
Mpofu
said,
was
one
of
constitutional
property
rights.
“From
the
perspective
of
the
title
holder
who
made
an
outlay
to
acquire
property
and
obtain
a
deed
of
title,
is
this
expropriation
of
money
reasonably
justifiable
in
a
democratic
society?”
Advocate
Fadzayi
Mahere
raised
a
further
challenge
that
the
government
has
yet
to
address:
what
happens
to
title
holders
who
simply
refuse
to
comply.
“Why
should
people
have
to
pay
anything
more
for
properties
that
were
already
conveyanced
with
all
relevant
taxes
and
fees
paid
up?”
she
asked.
“Why
should
a
property
owner
be
burdened
by
this
new
money-making
experiment?”
Mahere
said
the
scheme
had
no
obvious
means
of
enforcement.
“What
happens
if
people
simply
don’t
comply?
You
can’t
take
their
properties.
They
already
hold
title,”
she
said.
“It’s
nonsensical.”
The
pilot
programme,
which
began
on
April
1,
2026,
is
designed
to
test
the
Digital
Land
Administration
Platform
before
a
nationwide
rollout.
The
ministry
of
justice
has
said
the
new
modalities
for
the
programme
will
be
worked
out
in
consultation
with
the
Law
Society,
with
details
to
follow.