By Flora Muchenje Property Correspondent
Harare, September 25, 2025
In the bustling suburbs of Harare and Bulawayo, where the dream of homeownership collides with the harsh realities of Zimbabwe’s land tenure system, council cessions remain a lifeline for thousands of aspiring homeowners.
But as the country grapples with a housing backlog estimated at over two million units, these informal agreements—promising quick and cheap access to land—are increasingly under scrutiny. While they offer a fast track to building a future, they also expose buyers to a minefield of risks, from eviction threats to fraudulent deals.
This is the story of council cessions: their undeniable upsides and perilous downsides.
What Are Council Cessions?
For the uninitiated, a council cession is essentially a transfer of rights to occupy and develop a piece of land, issued by local authorities like the City of Harare or rural district councils, without the full legal backing of a title deed.
It’s a personal right, not absolute ownership, often used in peri-urban and high-density areas where formal titles are scarce or delayed by bureaucratic hurdles.
Picture this: a young family, scraping together savings in a hyperinflation-scarred economy, spots an affordable stand in a developing suburb. They sign a cession agreement, get council approval, and start building—bypassing the years-long wait for a deed of grant.
The Upsides of Cessions
The upsides are hard to ignore, especially in a nation where formal housing is a luxury.
- First and foremost, affordability reigns supreme. Cession properties can cost 30-50% less than titled land, making homeownership viable for low- and middle-income earners who might otherwise be locked out of the market.
- The process is also lightning-fast—often wrapping up in weeks, compared to the labyrinthine title registration that can drag on for years amid backlogs at the Deeds Registry.
- Moreover, cessions democratize access to emerging developments.
“It’s a godsend for people like us,” says Miriam Chigumbu, a 42-year-old teacher from Chitungwiza who secured a cession stand in 2023. “We couldn’t afford anything else, and now we have a roof over our heads.”
In 2025 alone, local councils have allocated over 15,000 stands via cessions in Harare’s satellite towns like Ruwa and Norton, fueling urban expansion and providing much-needed housing stock. Proponents argue this informal mechanism aligns with Zimbabwe’s National Human Settlements Policy, which aims to regularize informal settlements and could eventually convert cessions to titles for up to 1.5 million urban households. For developers and councils, it’s a pragmatic workaround to cash-flow issues, generating revenue through fees without the full regulatory burden.
The Downsides of Cessions
Yet, for every success story, there’s a cautionary tale lurking in the fine print—or lack thereof. The downsides of council cessions are as stark as they are systemic.
Lack of Ownership Security
Chief among them is the absence of ironclad ownership. Without a title deed, buyers hold only a revocable right, leaving them vulnerable to:
- council repossessions,
- double allocations, or
- disputes with traditional leaders claiming ancestral land.
In fact, data from the Zimbabwe Land Commission reveals that over 60% of urban land disputes in 2023 stemmed from unclear cession claims, a trend showing no signs of abating in 2025.
Financial Insecurity
Financial woes compound the insecurity. Banks view cessions as high-risk, rarely approving mortgages and forcing buyers to rely on informal loans with exorbitant interest rates. Reselling is another headache: potential buyers demand discounts, and fresh council approvals can stall deals indefinitely.
“I tried to sell my stand last year, but no one wanted the hassle,” laments Tendai Ndlovu, a mechanic from Bulawayo whose cession property in Luveve has sat unsold amid rising rates.
Fraud is rife too—scammers peddle fake cessions for non-existent stands, leaving victims out of pocket and homeless.
Recent Pitfalls in the Headlines
- Recent headlines underscore these pitfalls. In July 2025, Chiredzi Town Council faced a lawsuit from 43 residents over a “botched” cession scheme that short-changed buyers on serviced land promises, highlighting governance lapses in rural districts.
- Meanwhile, in Harare’s Epworth suburb, bulldozers razed dozens of cession-built homes in a land reclamation drive, displacing families who had invested their life savings.
Experts like property lawyer Tatenda Kangwende warn that without reforms, cessions could exacerbate inequality. “They’re a band-aid on a gaping wound,” she says. “Affordable, yes—but at what cost to stability?”
Advice for Aspiring Homeowners
So, where does this leave aspiring homeowners? Experts urge caution:
- Always verify the seller’s original allocation letter with the council,
- Secure written approval for the transfer,
- Enlist a lawyer to scrutinize documents.
- Cross-check for overlapping claims via the Deeds Office,
- Factor in servicing costs for water and roads, which councils often defer.
For those eyeing cessions, the government’s ongoing regularization drives—targeting 500,000 stands by 2027—offer a glimmer of hope for future titles.
Conclusion
As Zimbabwe’s urban population swells, council cessions embody the nation’s housing paradox:
- a gateway to dignity for some,
- a trapdoor to despair for others.
Until systemic reforms bridge the gap between informal rights and formal ownership, buyers must tread carefully. In the end, the true value of a home isn’t just in the deed—it’s in the security it promises.