Examining Zimbabwe’s Expropriation and Compensation Process through the Lens of Procedural Fairness

Purpose: This paper is an addition to the sparse academic works on the procedural fairness in compulsory acquisition and compensation of land and properties in Zimbabwe. Discovering a pragmatic way of resolving the centuries-long compensation disputes in Zimbabwe is the main motivation for this study.Design / methods followed / approach: The existing expropriation and compensation process was examined using the principles of procedural fairness which include representativeness, neutrality, accountability, consistency, correctability and grievance management. Data were collected through literature and questionnaire surveys. Content analysis was used to analyse the collected data with the aid of Atlas.ti8 and thematic analysis was done on data from questionnaires survey.Findings: The result of this paper shows that the current expropriation and compensation process fall short to meet the standard of procedural fairness which include but not limited to representativeness, consistency, neutrality, accountability, correctability and grievance management. To correct the observed gaps in the existing expropriation and compensation procedure in Zimbabwe, a novel expropriation and compensation framework (ECF) was designed for Zimbabwe to bring fairness in the current process.Research limitations / implications: The major limitation of this study was that data collection coincided with the COVID-19 induced lockdowns inhibited the planned face-to-face interviews. This would have made it possible for the researchers to make more enquiries as follow-up to preceding questions. This however did not impede the quality of research because the online platform was used to distribute questionnaires to the targeted research subjects.Practical implications: Results of this study came at the most appropriate time, given the fact that the GCA has just been signed and is about to be implemented. Furthermore, the time can be considered ripe since the Parliament of Zimbabwe is currently working on aligning existing statutes with the 2013 constriction. While the new Zimbabwean government is making appreciable progress, it is hoped that the contributions made in this study would lead to lasting solutions to age-long crisis.Originality / Value of work: Several studies exist on the subject matter; however, this is the first study that focuses on procedural fairness in compulsory acquisition and compensation in Zimbabwe. This study designed an ECF to operationalise the proposed legal amendments and bring transparency and consistency in property valuation for expropriation in Zimbabwe and improve the level of satisfaction of affected people.