Africa-Press – Zimbabwe. HARARE, Apr.29 (NewsDayLive) – A Harare-based housing co-operative operating as Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative has taken the government to court over its land, which was allegedly seized and allocated to a cement-manufacturing company.
The co-operative members claim that ownership of their land at Arlington Estate was fraudulently transferred to PPC Zimbabwe by government officials.
In summons filed at the High Court, the housing co-operative cited PPC Zimbabwe, Secureit Private Limited, Local Government and Public Works ministry secretary, Registrar of Deeds and Sheriff of the High Court as the respondents in the matter.
According to court documents, the co-operative was on January 31, 2005 offered the remainder of Subdivision E of Arlington Estate measuring 530, 25 hectares by the State through the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing and the offer letter is still extant.
Since then, the co-operative has been battling to have its layout plan approved, with officials in the Local Government ministry allegedly dilly-dallying over the issue.
They submitted that at one time they obtained an interdict order barring the government from evicting them from the land as they awaited approval of their layout plan.
But the Local Government secretary allegedly went on to parcel out pieces of land on the disputed area to various entities.
“One of the beneficiaries of this illegal process is PPC Zimbabwe. It is illegal because plaintiffs (Nyikavanhu) offer letters for the same land were never withdrawn,” they submitted.
In 2017, PPC Zimbabwe erected billboards claiming ownership of the land, and engaged Secureit Private Limited to safeguard the property.
Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative members submitted that when they took PPC Zimbabwe to court to enforce removal of the billboards, the latter produced a purported offer letter dated February 9, 2024.
They submitted that a Deed of Transfer no: 6168/2024 in favour of PPC Zimbabwe issued by the Local Government secretary was produced, indicating that it was processed in March 2025.
Irked by the submission of seemingly forged documents, Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative briefly abandoned the court process.
“It is clear that this was a calculated and well-coordinated plan to take over land which had been already allocated to the Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative,” they submitted
“The last holder of title, which was cancelled when the land was gazetted for compulsory acquisition was Portland Holdings.”
Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative submitted that it is not aware of any other process that was undertaken in order to reverse the acquisition as it was never notified.
They submitted that they have confirmation of being the legal land holder from all relevant government departments, including the Government chief legal advisor, the Attorney General’s Office and the Harare City Council master plan even confirms that the land is for human settlement.
The co-operative members added that PPC Zimbabwe was a cement manufacturing company and not a land developer.
They argued that an earlier deed of transfer carved from Nyikavanhu’s land was dismissed by the court as being irregular and not sustainable, as it had been carved from land belonging to the plaintiff by virtue of the offer letter – HCH1660/24.
They submitted that it was against this background that they had no option except to approach the court for relief, saying all other means of resolving the matter have failed.
Nyikavanhu Housing Co-operative is seeking to have the offer letter given to PPC Zimbabwe and the deed of transfer issued by government declared null and void,
They also want the court to interdict PPC Zimbabwe from occupying the said land and be stopped from offering any part of the land to third parties.
For More News And Analysis About Zimbabwe Follow Africa-Press
