Zimbabwe moves to write national compensation and relocation rules for displaced families
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Zimbabwe's housing ministry has partnered with the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation to draft a national compensation framework and relocation guidelines for communities displaced by development projects.
The Ministry of National Housing and Social Amenities has signed a memorandum of understanding with the Centre for Conflict Management and Transformation (CCMT) to strengthen safeguards for people affected by infrastructure and housing developments, including a national compensation framework and relocation guidelines.
Speaking at the signing ceremony, Housing Minister Professor Paul Mavima said development should not leave displaced families worse off. "Development should not transfer the cause of national progress to individuals and displaced families must be supported to rebuild their lives and livelihoods," he said.
The partnership will focus on policy development, technical collaboration, capacity building, multi-stakeholder dialogue and knowledge sharing. It will also support the finalisation of a handbook outlining best practice for managing development-induced displacement alongside the research-based national compensation framework.
Mavima said the initiative was aligned with Clause 65 of the Zimbabwe National Housing Human Settlements Policy, which calls for a comprehensive compensation and relocation framework backed by capacity building across all levels of government.
The ministry noted that development projects can displace communities from their homes and land, disrupting livelihoods, cultural heritage and access to natural resources, and that inadequate compensation and poor consultation can trigger disputes between affected communities and project developers. Mavima said infrastructure and housing projects should be preceded by proper planning and timely consultations, with fair compensation and dignified resettlement arrangements for affected families, and called on ministries, local authorities, civil society organisations and communities to support implementation.
CCMT works with communities and other stakeholders through community empowerment, dialogue and advocacy for policies that protect displaced populations, promoting free, prior and informed consent, fair compensation and inclusive socio-economic development, including opportunities for affected communities to benefit from projects through employment and other initiatives.