Opposition leaders have fiercely criticised the government’s recent decision to allow beneficiaries of its land reforms to sell or transfer their farms warning that the policy could become yet another scheme enriching the elite while leaving ordinary citizens without access to land.
The land reform program, initiated in 2000, saw vast tracts of land seized from white farmers and redistributed to indigenous black Zimbabweans.
However, in a significant policy change announced last week, the government stated that beneficiaries would now receive a “bankable, registrable, and transferable document of tenure.” The catch is that the sale or transfer of these farms would be limited to indigenous Zimbabweans only.
The announcement has sparked criticism from opposition leaders, who argue that without a thorough land audit, the policy risks entrenching inequality further.
Admire Dube, Secretary for Information and Publicity for The Patriotic Front (TPF), said there is a need for a comprehensive land audit before implementing such policies.
“There must be a serious audit of all land in Zimbabwe—who owns it, who can produce on it, which land needs to be shared, and which should be allocated for commercial purposes,” Dube said.
He warned that without this, the new policy could become “just another enrichment scheme for the elite, who often use dubious means to acquire wealth, ignoring ordinary Zimbabweans still without land.”
Dube pointed to a 2010 ZimOnline report revealing that a “new, well-connected black elite” controlled nearly 40% of the 14 million hectares seized from white farmers. “This highlights how flawed the system was from the beginning,” he added.
Dube called for a more inclusive approach to land redistribution, urging that land be allocated based on one’s ability to use it productively. He also advocated for empowering those with the skills and desire to produce, and for redistributing excess land from those who own multiple farms.
“All of this needs correction. Land redistribution should benefit every Zimbabwean, not a privileged few based on race and party affiliation,” he argued.
He criticised the current model, saying, “The Zanu PF model means those who gained land through political and racial channels hold the most, while the majority remain landless.”
ZAPU leader, Sibangilizwe Nkomo, echoed these concerns, warning that the government’s inconsistent policies would worsen the country’s economic woes. He accused the Zanu PF government of allowing its supporters to profit from land acquired for free, while productive citizens remain landless.
“It’s clear that nearly all beneficiaries of the land reform are Zanu PF members, making this policy an extension of the ruling party’s patronage system,” Nkomo said.
He criticised the policy for enabling landholders with no interest in farming to sell their land, which he believes will further harm Zimbabwe’s struggling agricultural sector.
“By rewarding such laziness, Zanu PF has encouraged ineptitude, while dangerously emboldening others sitting on idle mining claims and ill-gotten company shares,” Nkomo added.
Nkomo also raised concerns about the policy’s impact on investor confidence. “These reckless moves deepen our economic decline as investors shy away from the chaos,” he said, adding that land’s value as an asset relies on clear laws governing ownership and tenure.
He warned, “When everyone sells their land at the same time, what do you think happens to prices? It’s obvious that the so-called Second Republic is merely a criminal enterprise, driven by coup plotters and mercenaries still rewarding themselves for overthrowing the late dictator, Robert Mugabe.”
