26/05/2026
The government is correct on idle farms; land is capital!
The Eastern Caucus (TECA), Zimbabwe's leading liberal economic think-tank, commends the governmentโs proposal to institute a comprehensive land audit in what it calls โto restore order in land allocations and land useโ. On the same note, we argue that the government must liberalise the land market to unlock capital. Government-led audits are not enough, and at worst, are fraught with red tape, politics, and corruption. A private sector and market-based demand and supply system is the guarantor of productivity and prosperity.
On May 18th, the new Minister of Lands and Rural Development, Mr Vangelis Haritatos pronounced that the government will soon embark on a nationwide land audit targeting underutilised farms, multiple farm ownership, and irregular land allocations. The governmentโs policy intention is stated as to restore order and maximise production.
The land challenge in Zimbabwe is compounded by the high demand for urban housing versus the very low supply. This has led to people illegally buying small peri-urban plots from Village Heads and developing their houses.
Whilst the government is quick to blame the village heads, or the emerging propertied class, our view is simple: the governmentโs control of land is the big problem. The current state of multiple farm ownership, speculative holding, and sprouting unplanned urban areas is due to the governmentโs own inefficiencies in allocating land.
We propose that the government act quickly to liberalise land tenure in Zimbabwe. It must be brought back to the market and allow the forces of demand and supply to determine land prices and allocations in Zimbabwe.
Zimbabweโs quest to be an upper-middle-income economy by 2030 may remain a mirage if this vast asset, land, remains locked and hidden.
Whilst we commend the government for recently returning private land to those who lost land in the early 2000s, we argue that those who benefited from the process must fully pay for their lands.
The idea of government doling out free land based on war credentials, race, ethnicity, and relationship is illiberal, not economically sound, and the genesis of poverty.
If the government wants to support certain vulnerable classes of people, like war veterans and people with disabilities, it is better to use the fiscal policy. Those who need such favours might get some tax exemptions or preferential leases on the governmentโs own farms. This will unlock much of Zimbabweโs land to production.
Our assessment of the movement of capital, both domestic and foreign, we argue that with a legitimate and liberal land market in Zimbabwe, urban housing will develop with order. Agriculture will also rise as new investments come in. Zimbabwe has no time, and the world will not wait for Zimbabwe.
South Africa, Egypt, and Kenya are already making money through the recently introduced zero tariff in the Chinese market. Their citrus and avocados are already getting into that market.
In conclusion, whilst we commend the Minister for instituting this land audit, the end game must not be another government-led redistribution. It will result in the same underuse, thereby locking up much-needed capital. The government must liberalise land, process title deeds, and allow the private sector to allocate it. That is the sure road to prosperity!
