Deeds Office reconstitution to promote digitisation
THE Government has separated the Deeds, Company Registry and Intellectual Property Office into two semi-autonomous units.
The move, which was gazetted at the beginning of December, will see the Deeds Office standing alone, while the Company Registry and Intellectual Property Office will also manage its own affairs.
Since inception, they have been functioning as one department, which had resulted in some inefficiencies.
In an interview with The Sunday Mail, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs, Mrs Virginia Mabhiza, said the move is set to increase efficiency.
“The Deeds Registry will focus on digitising its processes, including old documents.
“I am sure you would appreciate that there is a lot of paperwork which needs to be digitised in line with modern trends,” said Mrs Mabhiza.
Documents such as title deeds, deed of partition title, deeds of rectification transfer, deeds of exchange and certificate of registered title of most properties in the country are still in paper form, and are at risk of being destroyed by fire, termite mounds or water.
“The Company Registry and Intellectual Property Office will focus on implementing the Companies and Other Businesses Act.
“They will also put more focus on protecting ideas and patents under the intellectual property arm,” she said.
The move is set to reduce the time it takes to register a company or a patent, in line with the ease of doing business philosophy of the Second Republic.
On average, it takes about seven days to register a company in Zimbabwe, which is longer than continental peers Rwanda, which takes only 24 hours for the same process.
“Both will have separate secretariats, we are still working on the modalities. We already had officers who were focusing on either the deeds or companies aspect.
“So at this point, it is a matter of them choosing where they want to go,” said Mrs Mabhiza.
The move is in line with international best practice.
In South Africa, the Companies and Intellectual Property Commission (CIPC) handles all concerns relating to new ideas and entities.