By Lynette Manzini
Government has placed a three-month freeze on all applications for changes in land reservations and use, citing growing concerns over chaotic urban development and poor planning oversight.
Authority to approve land use is usually vested with the local authorities such as the Harare City Council with consultation with the public.
Unfortunately, residents in most change of land use circumstances have not been consulted.
Over the last couple of years, local authorities have seen the mushrooming of illegal structures on undesignated sites and residents have complained about businesses such as fuel stations getting council approval to operate in residential areas.
Residents especially in Harare are on record complaining about the lack of consultation and transparency in change of land use.
Resultantly, in a directive issued on 2 May 2025, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe invoked powers under Section 69 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act to halt land use alterations by all local authorities nationwide.
The decision comes amid rising public dissatisfaction over the spread of commercial and industrial activities in residential areas and fears of losing public spaces to unregulated private development.
“Concerned with the proliferation of obstructive land uses in residential areas, acknowledging the increase in public complaints against such, and in the quest for ensuring the achievement of an upper-middle-income economy society by 2030, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works hereby issues this moratorium, which becomes effective immediately and shall run for 90 days from the date of pronouncement, that is the 2nd of May 2025,” said Garwe in a circular sent to all mayors and council chairpersons.
The temporary ban applies uniformly to all councils, rural and urban, and aims to bring accountability to land management practices.
The government says it wants to strengthen oversight mechanisms and ensure local planning decisions align with Zimbabwe’s Vision 2030 goal of achieving upper-middle-income status.
To qualify for early exemption, councils must meet conditions, including equipping planning departments, enforcing by-laws, consulting communities through diverse platforms, and restoring public spaces like road verges.
Each local authority must also provide detailed reports on their spatial planning capacity and demonstrate compliance before the moratorium is lifted.
Oversight of the directive has been delegated to the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary, with additional compliance guidelines expected soon.
The suspension follows years of controversial land reallocations and haphazard development that have undermined infrastructure and service delivery, particularly in rapidly expanding urban areas.
