HARARE – A contentious High Court case in Zimbabwe has brought to light allegations of fraudulent land acquisition involving the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works, Minister Daniel Garwe, and PPC Zimbabwe. Online Zimbabwean language courses
The plaintiff, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative, claims a prior valid offer for the same land was disregarded and potentially forged documents were created to facilitate the transfer to PPC.
Interestingly, President Emmerson Mnangagwa, after being invited by Garwe, recently officiated the handover of “title deeds” to PPC for the disputed land.
The case, HCH /2025, has detailed a protracted dispute over a substantial piece of land known as the remainder of Subdivision E of Arlington Estate.
A few weeks ago PPC Zimbabwe head of Legal and Compliance Mr Tawanda Chiurayi was quoted thanking the Government decision to restore the company’s ownership of the property. Online Zimbabwean language courses
“PPC owned the Arlington property prior to 2010 when it was erroneously acquired. We then engaged the Government and they resolved to give the land back to us given the circumstances. Today was the ceremonial handover of title deeds to us,” he said.
However according to the court papers, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative was formally registered in 2005 and subsequently offered the 530.25-hectare land by the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing on January 15, 2006.
The cooperative stated that this offer letter remained valid.
The documents have, however, outlined a series of frustrating attempts by the cooperative to have their layout plans signed by the Secretary for Local Government and Public Works, who is cited as the third respondent.
The situation took a turn when the Secretary for local Government allegedly began parcelling out portions of the land occupied by Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative.
One of the beneficiaries of this process, according to the court documents, is PPC Zimbabwe Limited, the second respondent. The cooperative has contended that the allocation to PPC was illegal as their original offer letter for the same land was never officially withdrawn.
Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative has further claimed that PPC Zimbabwe Limited employed Secureit (Pvt) Ltd, the 2nd Defendant, to guard the contested land.
In 2017, PPC allegedly installed billboards on the land claiming ownership, prompting the plaintiff to formally request their removal. This request, along with a complaint lodged with the Secretary for Local Government, allegedly went unanswered.
Subsequently, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative initiated legal action against PPC to compel the removal of the billboards. It was during this court process that PPC produced a purported offer letter dated February 9, 2024.
The Registrar of Deeds N.O, issued Deed of Transfer No. 6168/2024 in favour of PPC Zimbabwe Limited in March 2025, a development the Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative found surprising given their prior claim to the land.
The cooperative has alleged that the emergence of these documents during the initial court application suggested a “calculated and well-coordinated plan to take over land which had been already allocated” to them.
Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative consequently abandoned the initial application, deeming it meaningless due to the evolving circumstances, and has now filed the current lawsuit seeking significant relief.
“Because the 2nd Defendant (PPC Zimbabwe) kept on manufacturing documents during the court application, it changed the complexion of the matter. Plaintiff abandoned the application and will apply for quashing of proceedings as they had become meaningless.
“It is clear that this was a calculated and well-coordinated plan to take over land which had been already allocated to the Plaintiff,” read part of the court documents.
The Cooperative has stated that it possesses confirmation of their legal landholder status from various government departments, including the Government Chief Legal Adviser and the Attorney General’s Office.
They further asserted that the Harare City Council master plan designates the land for human settlement, contrasting with PPC Zimbabwe Limited’s primary business as a cement manufacturing company.
The court documents reference a previous High Court judgment (HCH1660/24) that allegedly disregarded an earlier Deed of Transfer carved from the plaintiff’s land as irregular.
Based on these allegations, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative is seeking a declaration that the offer letter issued to PPC Zimbabwe Limited on February 9, 2024, is null and void, a declaration that Deed of Transfer No. 6168/2024 in favour of PPC Zimbabwe Limited is null, void, and should be cancelled.
They also want an interdict preventing PPC Zimbabwe Limited from occupying the land, with a provision for eviction by the 5th Defendant, the Sheriff of the High Court and an order preventing the Secretary for Local Government and their successors from offering any part of the land to any third party.
PPC Zimbabwe operates a clinker plant at Colleen Bawn in West Nicholson and milling plants in Bulawayo and Harare and is part of a bigger company whose headquarters is in South Africa.
Apart from South Africa and Zimbabwe, PPC operates in Botswana, Ethiopia, the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) and Rwanda.
