Obert Jiri preps Zimbabwe title deeds for A2 farm owners

Zimbabwe’s land reform paperwork is finally moving, with thousands of A2 farmers cleared for title deeds and A1 farmers slowly getting bundled support, after years of delays, cash hiccups, and legal growing pains.

What the government says is ready now

• Obert Jiri says surveys are complete for 13000 A2 farms.
• Those farms are officially cleared for title deeds.
• The bottleneck shifted from land surveys to admin follow-through.

How many farmers are actually lined up

• Out of the surveyed A2 farms, 7756 have been fully matched to named farmers.
• Those farmers can now collect title deeds.
• Officials are actively calling them to speed things up.

Why did A2 farmers move faster

• A2 farmers tend to be commercially focused.
• The group includes civil servants, professionals, and businesspeople.
• Large-scale and export-oriented farming made their cases easier to process.

What A1 farmers are being offered

• A1 farmers are getting productivity booster kits.
• The kits combine title deeds with irrigation systems.
• The idea is to turn subsistence plots into productive units.

Who are A1 farmers usually are

• Mostly former communal farmers.
• Also, landless people and war veterans.
• Farming is typically household-based and small-scale.

Why has progress been slower for A1 farmers

• The numbers are much larger, over 280000 farmers.
• Only about 400 have been processed so far in Mashonaland Central.
• Officials describe it as slow learning rather than stalling.

Where the rollout is heading

• The A1 program is expanding beyond Mashonaland Central.
• Nationwide rollout is now underway.
• Systems are being standardized as lessons sink in.

What caused the delays in the first place

• Early payments had to be made in cash.
• That slowed everything down.
• Cash handling complicated verification and tracking.

Why are mortgages complicated things

• Mortgage payments now go through banks.
• The process needed airtight legal instruments.
• Those safeguards took time to put in place.

What officials say has changed

• Legal structures around mortgages are now set.
• The system is described as stable and functional.
• Jiri says the program is now in cruise mode.

What farmers should expect next

• More title deeds are expected this quarter.
• Even more are planned for the second quarter of 2026.
• Momentum is supposed to build, not stall.

How the government is framing the issue

• Delays are being blamed on process, not intent.
• Officials say the problems were technical, not political.
• The emphasis is on doing it smoothly and legally.

Why this matters long term

• Title deeds unlock access to credit.
• Irrigation boosts productivity and food security.
• Formal ownership changes how land is valued and used.

The takeaway

• Thousands are finally at the finish line.
• Hundreds more are being added carefully.
• After years of friction, land reform is inching into execution mode.