A New Battle Over Lost Land, Property and Homes
In the year 2000, Zimbabwe witnessed one of its most dramatic social and economic upheavals, the mass exodus of its white community. Many fled the country amid the fast-track land reform programme, leaving behind homes, farms and urban properties. Some of these properties were never even listed for acquisition, yet their owners departed in fear or despair as the nation descended into uncertainty.
Two decades later, a large number of these former property owners are returning to Zimbabwe, to reclaim what they once called home. However, their return has revealed a new reality much of the land and property they left behind has changed hands under questionable circumstances.
Several of these properties now bear the names of politically connected individuals, influential business figures or those with close ties to power. In some cases, title deeds appear to have been altered or reissued through irregular and possibly fraudulent means.
Legal experts and property rights advocates warn that these disputes are likely to multiply as returning citizens seek restitution or justice. Yet, with many of the current occupants wielding significant influence, reclaiming such properties may prove difficult.
“Some of the farms and homes were never designated for acquisition,” says one Harare-based property lawyer. “But the paperwork was manipulated long after the original owners had left. It’s a complex web involving corruption, politics and the decay of institutional integrity.”
For returning families, the discovery is painful. What was once a dream of coming home has turned into a bureaucratic and legal nightmare. Meanwhile, the government remains silent on whether any restitution or review process will be undertaken to address cases of fraudulent title changes.
This emerging dispute may reawaken old wounds in a country still struggling to reconcile its past with its future.
If your land, property or home was stolen report to the police and engage a lawyer.
