THE Zimbabwean government is poised to introduce stringent new regulations making it illegal to occupy or sell housing stands lacking essential services like sewer systems and roads, marking a decisive end to the chaotic “parallel development” policy blamed for spawning unplanned settlements.
According to the Urban State Land Management Guidelines released by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, as reported by the Sunday Mail, the crackdown aims to curb decades of illegal land sales and fraudulent allocations by land barons. A new body, the Urban State Land Office, will be established as the sole authority approving land activities.
At the heart of the new framework is a binding legal instrument to punish those who illegally sell, occupy, or build on urban state land. A new government body, the Urban State Land Office, will be the sole authority to approve such activities.
The policy is direct. It says, “Selling and occupation of unplanned and unserviced land shall be criminalised. A statutory instrument shall be promulgated to criminalise illegal sale, occupation, planning, survey and construction on urban State land without authority of the Urban State Land Office. Anyone in violation of the provisions of the statutory instrument shall be guilty of an offence liable to prosecution.”
To safeguard the public, the guidelines demand that developers secure both a certificate of compliance and a certificate to sell before advertising or transferring stands. Home seekers are encouraged to ask for these certificates to verify transactions.
The guidelines also bring a final end to “parallel development.” This policy, introduced around the year 2000, allowed developers to move people onto stands before sewerage systems, water pipes, or roads were built.
The new rules mark a total reversal. The guidelines declare:
“In this instance, all (housing) schemes are to be serviced fully and be connected to off-site infrastructure. Local authorities and national Government shall be responsible for the off-site infrastructure.”
This means no one will be allowed to move onto a stand until roads, sewer connections, and other essential services are complete. Local authorities, working with central government, must ensure off-site infrastructure is in place first.
To coordinate the changes, the government will establish an Urban State Land Office within the Ministry of Local Government. It will employ legal experts, surveyors, planners, and GIS specialists. The office will oversee all allocations and ensure proper planning standards are met.
Transparency will also be enforced. Councils, together with the new office, will now maintain official waiting lists for stands. There will be separate lists for residential, industrial, institutional, and commercial land. These lists must be updated every year, kept open to the public, and recorded in a standardised format.
The guidelines state:
“Applicants must pay a reasonable application fee reflective of prevailing socio-economic conditions, but not so high as to be exclusionary. Renewal of applications will be required annually to remain on the list.”
Allocations will strictly follow the lists, with any exceptions requiring written authority from senior government officials or council resolutions.
Priority will go to first-time homeowners. Applicants must already live in the area, be employed or running a business within the council’s jurisdiction, and show they have the means to develop the stand. Only Zimbabwean citizens or holders of investment certificates from the Zimbabwe Investment and Development Agency will qualify.
The government says these measures are meant to restore order after nearly 20 years of irregular developments that left many families without basic services.
