Oscar J Jeke
Zim Now Reporter
The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works has issued an immediate 90-day moratorium on all change of land use and reservation applications across Zimbabwe, citing a surge in unregulated and disruptive developments in residential areas.
The ban, announced under Sections 26(3), 27, 40(3) and (4), and 49 of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act [Chapter 29:12] of 1996, prohibits all local authorities from receiving, processing, or issuing permits related to change of use, special consent, subdivisions, consolidations, or changes in land reservation.
Effective from May 2, 2025, the moratorium aims to address growing public concern over the proliferation of intrusive land uses that threaten the character and harmony of residential environments. It forms part of government's effort to enhance spatial planning.
“This measure is necessary to create and maintain order and harmony in the built environment throughout the country,” said the Ministry in a statement. “No local authority is permitted to process or approve any such applications during the moratorium period.”
The directive calls on all local authorities to use the 90-day period to strengthen their development control units, enhance public consultation processes, enforce existing by-laws, monitor permit compliance, and implement beautification programs in public spaces.
Authorities must submit comprehensive compliance reports, including staffing details for their spatial planning and land management departments, to have the moratorium lifted in their jurisdictions.
The Ministry has urged the public and stakeholders to remain patient as it undertakes critical reviews to improve the management of rural and urban development.
“All local authorities are expected to fully comply with this moratorium without exception,” the statement concluded.
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