What SI 76 of 2025 Means for Your Stand

If you own a stand, a house or any registered property in Zimbabwe, the way your ownership is recorded is about to change. In July 2025 the government gazetted Statutory Instrument 76 of 2025, the Deeds Registries Regulations, which replaces the old paper based system with a secure, digital one. This guide explains what that means for you, without the legal jargon.

What is actually changing

Until now, your proof of ownership has been a paper title deed recorded at the Deeds Registry. SI 76 introduces securitised deeds, which are digitally recorded and far harder to forge. Every existing paper deed now needs to be checked, or validated, and then replaced with one of these new digital deeds.

You have a window of 24 months

The law gives property owners a period of 24 months to submit their original paper deed for validation. The Minister still has to declare the formal start date, and the clock runs from there, so a fixed deadline has not yet been set. Once the period closes, only the new securitised deed will be recognised. After that, an old paper deed can no longer be used to sell, transfer or borrow against your property.

Four things to do now

1. Find your original deed. Confirm you hold the original paper title deed, not a photocopy. If it is lost or damaged, start the replacement process early, before the validation period begins.
2. Check that it is in the right name. Make sure the deed reflects the correct, current owner. If you bought the property but never moved it into your name, read Your Deed Is Real, But Is It Registered?
3. Sort out shared or deceased ownership. If the registered owner has died, or the stand sits in several names, the estate or the joint owners must be regularised first. See Buying From a Deceased Estate.
4. Get help if your ownership is informal. If you hold a stand through a cooperative or a council list rather than a registered deed, you are not yet in the system. Read Bought on a Cooperative Stand? The Path to a Registered Title.

You do not have to do this alone

A registered legal practitioner can submit your deed for validation on your behalf, using a notarised special power of attorney. Where the registered owner has died, the executor of the estate submits the documents. You will generally need the original deed, valid identification, the application form and the prescribed fees.

Why it matters

The purpose of SI 76 is to cut title fraud, stop the same stand being sold twice, and make property safer to own and easier to use as security. Acting early protects you from the rush, and from discovering a problem with your deed only when you are trying to sell. A useful first step is simply to confirm your deed is genuine and registered: see Five Signs Your Title Deed May Not Be What You Think.