Chief Registrar of the Department of Deeds, Companies and Intellectual Property, Willie Mushayi, has urged property owners to validate and securitise their title deeds, saying the programme is intended to safeguard property rights and strengthen the integrity of Zimbabwe's land records.
Mushayi dismissed fears that the exercise could result in the loss of property, stressing that the initiative is designed to secure ownership records rather than deprive citizens of their assets.
"We gave people 24 months and we have already gone through the first 12 months. They have the next 12 months within which action must take place," he said recently.
"I know some people are apprehensive and ask what happens if they do not comply in time. You do not lose your rights in property. Neither does it change hands. It remains your property."
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However, Mushayi cautioned property owners against using the assurance as a reason to delay compliance, warning that title deeds that have not undergone validation and securitisation could eventually cease to be legally recognised for future property transactions.
The validation and securitisation programme forms part of broader efforts by the Deeds Office to support Zimbabwe's transition to a modern digital land and property registry.
Mushayi described the exercise as transparent, noting that property owners are free to engage conveyancers of their choice to facilitate the process.
He said the department had spent the past three years preparing for the transition, including investing heavily in staff training and retraining to ensure the institution is adequately equipped to implement the programme.
"We have been preparing for the past three years for this to happen and we have most of our people properly trained and others are going through re-training just to make sure we have the necessary critical mass," he said.
The Chief Registrar added that information centres are being established to provide awareness material and guidance to members of the public on the validation process.
Meanwhile, Mushayi said the ongoing digitisation of the Deeds Office would significantly improve the ease of doing business in Zimbabwe's property sector by reducing processing times and eliminating much of the paperwork traditionally associated with property transactions.
He noted that conveyancers previously had to physically move between institutions such as local authorities, the Zimbabwe Revenue Authority and the Deeds Office to complete a transfer.
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"An ordinary transfer with no complications could take two to three weeks. It involved a lot of leg work. With this digital platform, the conveyancer does not move. He uploads documents from his office, I receive them in my inbox and then we process them," said Mushayi.
The digitisation programme is expected to streamline property transactions, enhance service delivery and create a more efficient, secure and transparent property registration system.
