Time to offer title deeds for Rural Dwellers

According to the world bank ,"Secure property rights and efficient land registration institutions are a cornerstone of any modern economy". This gives confidence to the national individuals and businesses to invest in land and allows private companies and organisations to borrow using the land as collateral to expand job and investment opportunities, and it enables the government to collect property taxes, which are necessary to finance the provision of infrastructure and services to citizens. Unfortunately, a mere 32% of Zimbabwe's population have legally registered to own land and houses.

Sixty eight percent of the Zimbabwe population live in the rural areas, yet they do not own the land they live on. The black rural population does not have title deeds for the land that they have been forced to stay on. Yet, the 4500 white farmers who used to own vast amounts of Zimbabwe's rural land had title deeds for the land that some of them forcibly acquired from the black ideginoues people. The Zimbabwean Government talks about economic emancipation and economic empowerment, yet not even one of our former tribal trust land has been issued with a title deed. Sixty eight percent of our land is in the rural areas and that means 68% of Zimbabwe's property is valueless. This is largely due to the country's colonial occupation that confined the black populations to what colonial rulers termed 'Reserves Lands' or tribal trust land. These reserves did not have title deeds other than that they were controlled by traditional leaders, (Chiefs).

Even the Lancaster House Agreement of 1979 that brought independence to the black majority rule did not discuss the ownership of rural land but discussed the land that only had title deeds. How was it possible that a white farmer would have a title deed right in the middle of rural Chipinge, yet no one, not even one villager could have a deed for the piece of land they have lived on for thousands of years?

It is sad to note that the current government has continued with the colonial arrangement by the Rhodesian government, which placed chiefs in Parliament, so that they continue to play their custodial role of 'Tribal Trust Lands'. The government of Zimbabwe saw it pertinent to perpetuate the narrative that rural areas were not just poor, but also its citizens were not capable of owning that land outside the algorithm of traditional supervision.

While the rich and elite are focusing on acquiring ownership of their farm land, there is need for clarification on the issue of land ownership in rural areas or in tribal lands. Zimbabweans should take note that a title deed is the only legal document that proves ownership in land, the same cannot be said in relation to properties in rural areas. Rural properties are owned by tribal authorities, the state etc. and therefore no individual ownership is given to respective owners of stands in rural areas. Zimbabweans are beginning to understand the importance of property ownership and there is a general acknowledgement that rural stands are now being sold at exorbitant amounts, no ownership is registered anywhere in respect of the stand owner. These ownership acquisitions are done informally and do not grant the owner anything other than a personal right and a personal agreement.

After the purchase, no registration is done at the Deeds Office and there is no transfer of ownership and the buyer is not given ownership rights. Rural land is more often not sold informally, and all subdivisions are not processed by the Surveyor General's office. The indigenous population serve their land or rural property as security under a bond/mortgage and hence financial institutions will only grant mortgages or/and personal loans to property owners who own stands for building purposes.

The law of the land does not protect those who buy rural properties or provide normal remedies in cases where there is an infringement of rights to ownership; the law cannot be applied in rural areas. In most instances, the owner has personal rights against those who infringe upon their rights to land. The nation should be wary of the fact that although large sums of money are requested as a purchase price for rural properties no transfer of ownership takes place.

The Government of Zimbabwe should acknowledge that, without land tenure systems that allow the indigenous population property rights that work, economies risk missing the foundation for the nation's sustainable growth, threatening the continuous livelihoods of the poor and the vulnerable the most. Without title deeds and property ownership, it is simply not possible to end rural poverty and boost shared prosperity without making serious progress on rural land and property rights in Zimbabwe.

Failure for the government to address and clarify rural land rights and do not fix distorted land policies will contribute to the increase in property values, making rural properties unaffordable to the poor. The rural and urban economic gaps have already led to the formation of large informal settlements in Zimbabwean major cities.

According to the World Bank report "Africa's Cities: Opening Doors to the World," the top priority for African cities to create more affordable and livable urban environments is to formalize land markets, clarify property rights, and institute effective urban planning.

If Zimbabwe is to be a middle economy by 2030, there is a need to empower the rural population by providing them with title deeds. Securing rural land and property rights are not only at the heart of sustainable development, but will also lead to the up lifting of the rural population.

Zimbabwe is for all we should uplift the rural population by providing property rights.