President Dr Emmerson Mnangagwa has announced that Government continues to roll out the Presidential Title Deeds Programme in urban and peri-urban areas, as part of efforts to formalise land and property ownership across the country.
Delivering the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2026, the President said the programme remains a key vehicle for giving citizens secure tenure over the land and homes they occupy. He also revealed that a comprehensive revision of building by-laws into modern, harmonised building codes is underway.
The Presidential Title Deeds Programme is aimed at addressing the long-standing challenge of residents who have lived on land for years without formal documentation. Holding title deeds gives homeowners legal recognition of their property, protects them against disputes and evictions, and allows them to use their assets to unlock finance. Economists have long argued that formalised property rights are essential to converting dormant assets into productive capital, enabling households to access mortgages, start businesses and invest in improvements.
Urban and peri-urban areas have been a particular focus because of the rapid growth of settlements on the fringes of towns and cities, many of which developed without complete planning approvals or formal ownership records. By regularising these settlements, Government hopes to bring order to urban development, improve service delivery and expand the local authority revenue base.
Alongside the title deeds initiative, the revision of building by-laws marks a significant shift in how construction is regulated. Existing by-laws, many of which date back decades, have often been criticised as outdated, fragmented and inconsistent from one local authority to another. Consolidating them into modern harmonised building codes is expected to standardise requirements across the country, simplify approval processes and reduce delays for developers and homeowners alike.
Industry players in the construction and real estate sectors say harmonised codes could improve safety standards, encourage the use of modern and cost-effective building technologies, and lower the cost of doing business. Clearer, uniform regulations are also expected to give investors greater confidence when committing to housing and commercial developments.
The measures fit within Government’s broader push for infrastructure-led growth and housing delivery under Vision 2030, which seeks to transform Zimbabwe into an upper middle-income economy.
While details on timelines and the number of title deeds issued to date were not immediately outlined, stakeholders in housing, banking and construction will be watching closely as implementation continues, hopeful that secure tenure and modern building standards will unlock new investment and improve livelihoods.
