Mandatory for every Zimbabwe company under the COBE Act. We provide a qualified resident secretary from $200/year.
A company secretary is a statutory officer required by law for every company registered in Zimbabwe. The role is established under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act (COBE Act), Chapter 24:31, which governs all companies, cooperatives, and business entities in the country.
Unlike many other jurisdictions where the company secretary role is optional or purely administrative, in Zimbabwe it is a legal requirement. Every Private Limited Company (Pvt Ltd), Public Limited Company (PLC), and other corporate entities must have a company secretary appointed at all times. The only exception is the Private Business Corporation (PBC), which does not require a company secretary.
The company secretary serves as the primary compliance officer of the company. They are responsible for ensuring the company meets its statutory obligations, maintains proper records, and files the required documents with the Registrar of Companies. In practice, the company secretary is the person who keeps the legal machinery of the company running smoothly.
The qualifications required to serve as a company secretary depend on the type of company:
Private Limited Companies (Pvt Ltd):
Public Limited Companies (PLC):
Many business owners — particularly those in the diaspora — register a company in Zimbabwe and then overlook the ongoing compliance requirements. The company secretary role is one of the most important of these requirements, and getting it wrong has real consequences.
This is not optional. The COBE Act requires every Pvt Ltd and PLC to have a company secretary. There is no grace period, no exemption for small companies, and no waiver for companies that are dormant or not yet trading. From the day your company is incorporated, you must have a secretary appointed.
Failure to appoint or maintain a company secretary constitutes a breach of the COBE Act. The consequences include:
If you registered a company in Zimbabwe from the UK, South Africa, or elsewhere, you face a unique problem. You need someone physically in Zimbabwe who can:
Without a reliable company secretary on the ground, your company will inevitably fall behind on compliance. We see this constantly — diaspora owners who registered their company 2-3 years ago and have never filed an annual return, never updated their statutory registers, and now need to fix years of non-compliance before they can open a bank account or apply for a government tender.
Unlike in the UK (where companies house maintains a public list), Zimbabwe does not have a public register of approved company secretaries. This means you cannot simply search online for a licensed secretary. You need to work with a professional services firm that provides this service — which is exactly what we do.
At $200/year, a company secretary service is the cheapest form of corporate compliance you can buy. Compare this to the cost of:
Our company secretary service is comprehensive. We do not simply lend you a name — we provide an active, working company secretary who fulfils all the statutory duties required by the COBE Act.
We provide a qualified individual based in Harare to serve as your company’s secretary. This person is ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe and meets all the requirements of the COBE Act. For PLC clients, we provide a professionally qualified secretary with the required credentials and experience.
When we appoint your company secretary, we prepare and file a CR14 form with the Registrar of Companies. This form officially notifies the Registrar of the secretary’s details — full name, residential address, ID/passport number, and date of appointment. We handle all the paperwork and filing.
Every Zimbabwe company must maintain statutory registers at its registered office. These registers are legal documents that must be kept up to date at all times. Our service includes maintaining:
The COBE Act requires that minutes be kept of all proceedings at meetings of directors and of the company. Our company secretary prepares:
Every Zimbabwe company must file annual returns with the Registrar within 28 days of the incorporation anniversary. We prepare the annual return form and remind you of the upcoming deadline well in advance. On our Standard and Premium plans, we handle the full filing process on your behalf. See our annual returns guide for more details.
We maintain a compliance calendar for your company that tracks:
Our company secretary acts as the point of contact for correspondence with the Registrar of Companies. This includes:
We offer three plans to match the complexity of your company structure. All plans include a full 12 months of service from the date of appointment.
| Feature | Basic — $200/yr | Standard — $350/yr | Premium — $500/yr |
|---|---|---|---|
| Best For | Pvt Ltd, 1–2 directors, standard compliance | Multiple directors, regular board changes | PLC or complex structure, high compliance needs |
| Nominee Secretary Appointment | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| CR14 Filing (Initial Appointment) | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Statutory Register Maintenance | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Board Meeting Minutes (per year) | Up to 2 | Up to 6 | Unlimited |
| Annual Return Preparation | Preparation only | Full filing included | Full filing included |
| Compliance Calendar | ✓ | ✓ | ✓ |
| Director/Shareholder Change CR14s | $50 each | 2 included/yr, then $40 each | Unlimited included |
| Quarterly Compliance Report | — | — | ✓ |
| Priority Support (same-day response) | — | — | ✓ |
| Registrar Correspondence Handling | Basic | Full | Full + proactive |
Government filing fees (e.g., CR14 filing fee) are included in all plans. There are no hidden charges. The price you see is the price you pay.
Getting started with our company secretary service is straightforward. Here is the process from first contact to ongoing management:
Reach out via WhatsApp, phone (+263 77 431 4234), or our contact form. Tell us:
We conduct a company search at the Registrar to establish your current compliance status. We check:
If there are existing compliance issues, we provide a clear quote for the remediation work before proceeding.
Once you confirm and pay, we:
From this point, your company secretary service is active. We:
You receive a renewal reminder 30 days before your service anniversary, with the option to upgrade or downgrade your plan.
Our company secretary service is designed for a wide range of company owners, but these are the most common profiles we serve:
You live in the UK, South Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada, Botswana, or elsewhere. You have registered (or want to register) a company in Zimbabwe, but you cannot be physically present to fulfil the secretary role. Over 50% of our clients fall into this category. We are your eyes, ears, and hands at the Companies Office in Harare.
You have just registered a new Pvt Ltd and need to appoint a company secretary as part of your post-incorporation setup. Our Basic plan at $200/year is the most cost-effective way to tick this box and stay compliant from day one.
You registered your company 2, 3, or 5 years ago and have not maintained a company secretary, filed annual returns, or updated your statutory registers. We see this regularly. We will assess the backlog, fix the compliance gap, and then put you on an ongoing plan to prevent it from happening again.
If your company regularly appoints or removes directors, issues new shares, or undergoes structural changes, you need a company secretary who can handle the volume of CR14 filings and register updates. Our Standard or Premium plan covers this.
PLCs are required by law to have a professionally qualified company secretary. Our Premium plan provides a secretary with the required credentials — either a chartered accountant, chartered secretary, legal practitioner, or public auditor with 3+ years of experience.
The Companies and Other Business Entities Act (Chapter 24:31) is the primary legislation governing company law in Zimbabwe. It replaced the old Companies Act and consolidated the regulation of all business entities into a single statute.
The COBE Act places specific duties and responsibilities on the company secretary. Here is what the law requires:
| Duty | Description | Deadline / Frequency |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain statutory registers | Keep registers of directors, shareholders, debenture holders, and charges at the registered office | Ongoing — must be updated within 14 days of any change |
| File change notifications | Notify the Registrar of any changes in directors, secretary, registered office, or share capital via CR14 and other prescribed forms | Within 14 days of the change |
| Prepare and file annual returns | File the annual return confirming company details are up to date | Within 28 days of incorporation anniversary |
| Keep minutes | Record minutes of all board meetings, general meetings, and resolutions | Within 14 days of the meeting |
| Ensure compliance with the Act | Advise directors on their statutory obligations and ensure the company acts within the law | Ongoing |
| Custody of the company seal | If the company has a common seal, the secretary is responsible for its safe custody and proper use | Ongoing |
| Make registers available for inspection | Statutory registers must be available for inspection by any member of the company during business hours | On request |
Clients often confuse the company secretary with other roles. Here is how they differ:
| Role | Appointed By | Primary Function | Legally Required? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Company Secretary | Board of Directors | Statutory compliance, register maintenance, filing with Registrar | Yes (COBE Act) |
| Director | Shareholders | Strategic management and decision-making | Yes (minimum 1 for Pvt Ltd) |
| Auditor | Shareholders at AGM | Independent review of financial statements | Yes for PLCs; optional for Pvt Ltd below threshold |
| Accountant / Tax Agent | Company (optional) | Financial records, tax returns, ZIMRA compliance | No (but recommended) |
| Lawyer | Company (as needed) | Legal advice, contracts, dispute resolution | No |
The company secretary is the only role on this list (apart from directors) that is both legally mandatory and an ongoing requirement. You need one from the day your company is incorporated until the day it is deregistered.
Yes. Under the Companies and Other Business Entities Act (COBE Act), Chapter 24:31, every company registered in Zimbabwe — both Private Limited (Pvt Ltd) and Public Limited Company (PLC) — must appoint a company secretary. This is a legal requirement, not a recommendation. The only entity type exempt is the Private Business Corporation (PBC). Failure to maintain a company secretary puts your company in breach of the Act.
For private companies (Pvt Ltd), yes — a director can also serve as the company secretary, provided they are ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe. However, there is one important exception: the sole director of a one-person company cannot also act as the company secretary. A separate individual must be appointed. For public companies (PLCs), the secretary must hold professional qualifications (chartered accountant, chartered secretary, legal practitioner, or public auditor) with at least 3 years of relevant experience.
This is exactly who our service is designed for. The COBE Act requires the company secretary to be ordinarily resident in Zimbabwe. If you live in the UK, South Africa, Australia, the USA, Canada, or anywhere outside Zimbabwe, you cannot personally fill this role. We provide a nominee company secretary based in Harare who acts on your behalf and ensures your company stays compliant. Over 50% of our clients are diaspora Zimbabweans — you are in good company.
Operating without a company secretary is a breach of the COBE Act. The practical consequences include: inability to file certain statutory documents with the Registrar (many forms require the secretary’s signature), potential monetary penalties, directors becoming personally liable for compliance duties, difficulty obtaining a tax clearance certificate from ZIMRA, and adverse results when banks or business partners conduct a company search. In serious cases, the Registrar can take enforcement action against the company and its directors.
Yes. You can change your company secretary at any time. The process requires a board resolution removing the outgoing secretary and appointing the incoming secretary, followed by filing a CR14 form with the Registrar of Companies. We handle the entire transition — drafting the resolution, preparing the CR14, filing with the Registrar, and updating the statutory registers. If you are switching to our service from another provider (or from a family member who was acting as secretary), we make the transition seamless.
Our service starts from $200 per year for a standard Private Limited Company with 1-2 directors (Basic plan). The Standard plan at $350/year includes annual return filing and covers companies with multiple directors. The Premium plan at $500/year is for PLCs or complex structures and includes quarterly compliance reports and unlimited CR14 filings. All government filing fees are included — no hidden costs. See the full pricing comparison above.
The company secretary service works best as part of a complete compliance package. Consider these related services:
Stop risking penalties and compliance failures. From $200/year, we provide a qualified, Zimbabwe-resident company secretary who handles everything — so you do not have to.
Over 50% of our clients are diaspora Zimbabweans. We understand the challenges of managing a company from abroad, and we are here to make it simple.