Zimbabwe created an office for the Surveyor-General back in April 1933. This government department handles land measurements across the country. The Land Survey Act includes rules about how people can settle arguments when they disagree about where property lines should be. These disagreements happen when neighbors cannot agree on boundary markers between their properties.
The law allows special judges called arbitrators to step in and make decisions about these fights. These arbitrators must follow certain rules written in Section 21 of the act. They look at each case carefully based on three main ideas. First, they respect the original markers placed during the first survey of the land, even when maps or papers describe something different. Second, they accept boundary markers that both sides have agreed upon for at least thirty years.
These thirty-year markers become official even if they differ from older records. However, arbitrators cannot give someone land that clearly belongs to another person based on official documents. The law protects landowners from losing property just because someone else used that space without permission for a long time. If two different land grants overlap, the person who received their grant first usually keeps the disputed area.
Arbitration helps solve these problems without going through lengthy court battles. The Surveyor-General chooses qualified people to serve as arbitrators when neighbors cannot resolve these issues themselves. These mediators examine old maps, listen to both sides and visit the actual land before making their decisions. Their rulings become legally binding for all parties involved in the boundary dispute.
The law allows special judges called arbitrators to step in and make decisions about these fights. These arbitrators must follow certain rules written in Section 21 of the act. They look at each case carefully based on three main ideas. First, they respect the original markers placed during the first survey of the land, even when maps or papers describe something different. Second, they accept boundary markers that both sides have agreed upon for at least thirty years.
These thirty-year markers become official even if they differ from older records. However, arbitrators cannot give someone land that clearly belongs to another person based on official documents. The law protects landowners from losing property just because someone else used that space without permission for a long time. If two different land grants overlap, the person who received their grant first usually keeps the disputed area.
Arbitration helps solve these problems without going through lengthy court battles. The Surveyor-General chooses qualified people to serve as arbitrators when neighbors cannot resolve these issues themselves. These mediators examine old maps, listen to both sides and visit the actual land before making their decisions. Their rulings become legally binding for all parties involved in the boundary dispute.