LSZ sued the State for selecting law firms

Government overreach sparked uproar as legal firms got handpicked for deed digitization.

Title deeds pilot

• The Ministry of Justice launched a digital validation pilot on April 1.
• Property owners must convert paper deeds to digital within two years.
• Pilot restricts submissions to 16 pre-selected law firms.
• The initial phase runs just two weeks for the chosen conveyancers.

Selected law firms

• Chimuka Mafunga Commercial Attorneys made the exclusive list.
• Mhishi Nkomo Legal Practice joined the restricted pilot group.
• Wintertons Legal Practitioners and Dube Manikai & Hwacha included.
• Chiwunda-Mujokoro & P Takawadiyi Law Chambers is also authorised.

Law Society pushback

• Law Society of Zimbabwe says the state shouldn’t pick lawyers.
• Executive Secretary Edward Mapara noted member backlash online and offline.
• Society contacted the Permanent Secretary to challenge the restricted list.
• Follow-up update expected within 48 hours from the ministry offices.