Banks to be linked to Deeds Office

Financial institutions will soon be digitally linked to the Deeds Office to verify property ownership changes as Government moves to modernise the title deeds system and strengthen protection against property fraud.

The initiative will allow banks and other lenders to authenticate property ownership details before approving loans or mortgages secured against immovable property, helping to prevent fraudulent applications involving fake title deeds.

Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi announced the development while responding to questions in the National Assembly.

Bulawayo North legislator Ms Minenhle Gumede had asked what measures Government was taking to ensure that the ongoing title deeds validation and securitisation programme remained accessible to vulnerable groups, including pensioners and people living with disabilities.

Minister Ziyambi said the programme was aimed at transforming the current paper-based title deeds system into a secure digital platform that would safeguard property owners.

"This is a very good programme that will put safeguards to ensure that we protect properties for all of us by migrating from a paper-based system of title deeds production to one which is computer-based, which is securitised," he said.

He said banks would be provided with controlled access to the system to verify ownership details when processing property-related transactions.

"We will even have links to banks whereby if somebody is selling a property and you go to a bank, the bank will have a user code that will access our system and be able to view and satisfy themselves that this is authentic," Minister Ziyambi said.

He said the existing manual system at the Deeds Office created opportunities for manipulation, including cases where criminals colluded with officials to fraudulently transfer ownership of properties.

"Right now, you may visit the Deeds Office looking for a copy of your deed. You may not get it. This is a process that has not been clearly understood by the majority of the people," he said.

Minister Ziyambi said concerns raised by property owners who had lost homes through fraudulent transactions had prompted Government to introduce the securitisation programme.

He cited the case of former Cabinet Minister Dr Dzingai Mutumbuka, who nearly lost his Highlands property through an alleged fraudulent scheme involving individuals who manipulated the deeds system.

The Minister said property owners would now be required to work through registered conveyancers during the verification process to improve accountability.

"We do not want a scenario where you walk in with your title deeds and then you do the verification alone. The whole thrust is that all the title deeds in the country must be securitised," he said.

He said the involvement of registered legal practitioners would ensure that professionals could be held accountable if fraudulent activities occurred.

"We want to remove this fraudulent activity and connivance that were happening where honest people have lost their properties. We decided to go the route of using a professional who would then do the verification and tender those documents," he said.

Minister Ziyambi said the digital system would also provide an audit trail showing who accessed or changed property ownership records.

He dismissed calls for further public consultations, saying the reforms were introduced in response to widespread concerns from citizens who had suffered property losses.

Government has since begun the process of validating existing title deeds, with property owners encouraged to approach the Deeds Office through conveyancers to have their documents verified and migrated into the digital system.

The same securitisation approach is also being applied to agricultural land, where farmers are being issued with title deeds as Government seeks to strengthen security of tenure and encourage investment in the agricultural sector.