MRP warns title deeds drive could rob vulnerable families in Matebeleland

MTHWAKAZI Republic Party leader Mqondisi Moyo has criticised the government's ongoing title deeds revalidation exercise, warning that it could expose vulnerable communities in Matebeleland to property loss and exploitation.

The exercise requires property owners to submit their title deeds for digital validation at a prescribed cost, a process authorities say is aimed at modernising land records and improving security of tenure.

However, Moyo described the initiative as "not an innocent administrative reform" but a "calculated, exploitative and deeply dangerous scheme."

He argued that communities in Matabeleland continue to carry the legacy of historical injustices, including the Gukurahundi period, forced displacement and long-term economic marginalisation, which have left many families in precarious legal and administrative situations.

According to Moyo, many affected households were displaced over the years and migrated to countries such as South Africa, Botswana, the United Kingdom and the United States, leaving behind properties often still registered in the names of deceased relatives.

He said thousands of estates were never formally administered due to displacement, poverty and weak institutional systems.

"The people of Matabeleland do not view the title deeds revalidation exercise as a simple administrative process," Moyo said.

"It is increasingly perceived as a deeply political and potentially dangerous operation."

Moyo warned that absent property owners, undocumented heirs and elderly residents with limited legal literacy could be particularly vulnerable during the exercise.

The party also raised concerns that individuals with political connections could potentially exploit gaps in documentation to acquire properties unlawfully.

"These fears are neither abstract nor imaginary," he said, citing past disputes over land allocation and contested property ownership in Zimbabwe.

He called for stronger legal safeguards, independent oversight mechanisms, free legal assistance and diaspora engagement programmes to protect affected families.

Moyo added that for many households in Matabeleland, property is not only an economic asset but also a symbol of memory, identity and historical continuity.

"To lose such properties through bureaucratic technicalities would be experienced as a continuation of historical dispossession," he said.

The party said it would continue to advocate for transparency, justice and protection of vulnerable communities as the government proceeds with the revalidation programme.