Zimbabwe: Underfire Minister Garwe Drags Mnangagwa Into Messy, Illegal Takeover of Arlington Estate

BARELY a month after President Emmerson Mnangagwa was made to hand over some 480 hectares of the remainder of Arlington Estate to PPC Zimbabwe, documents have revealed it has belonged to a housing cooperative since 2006.

The Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative now alleges that Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, who invited Mnangagwa to hand over the land, fraudulently altered documents to PPC Zimbabwe’s benefit.

According to High Court summons gleaned by NewZimbabwe.com and supporting documents from Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative, the government offered them 530.25 hectares of Subdivision E of Arlington in 2006 for the construction of houses.

Although the layout plan is still to be signed by the Local Government Ministry, the offer is still in existence.

“One of the beneficiaries of this illegal process is PPC Zimbabwe. It is illegal because Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative’s offer letter for the same land was never withdrawn,” read the summons.

According to the court documents, PPC Zimbabwe presented an offer letter dated February 9, 2024, after being indicted to ensure it removed billboards that had been erected along the property boundary, purporting they owned it.

A Deed of Transfer (No: 6168/2024) from the Sheriff of the High Court, dated March this year, was later presented by PPC Zimbabwe during proceedings.

“Because PPC Zimbabwe kept on manufacturing documents during the court application, it changed the complexion of the matter. Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative abandoned the application and will apply for the 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 already been allocated to the Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative.”

The last holder of the title, which was cancelled when the land was gazetted for compulsory acquisition, was Portland. It was earmarked for the expansion of the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, with an extra runway having been set for construction.

Because the land had been earmarked for airport expansion, the government had given the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ) power to weigh in such cases.

Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative has in its possession a 2011 letter from CAAZ authorising its application to subdivide the remainder of Arlington Estate into residential stands.

“Please be advised that CAAZ cleared your application and the development should be carried out according to the requirements listed by the Harare City Council Combination Master Plan,” reads the letter dated October 26, 2011 and signed by a P.T Dohwe.

Another letter of support from the Local Government Ministry, dated November 30, 2010, indicates that Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative owns the land in question and acknowledges it.

“This letter serves to confirm that Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative is known and recognised by the office of the Governor and Resident Minister and that it is based at Arlington Estate Subdivision E,” reads the letter signed by then Acting District Administrator Godfrey Maeresa.

Similar letters, shown to NewZimbabwe.com, have raised a stink and added weight to Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative’s allegations that Garwe might have illegally parcelled out the land to PPC Zimbabwe, dragging Mnangagwa into the messy affair.

After Mnangagwa’s presentation of the land, it was lauded as his sign of commitment to promoting industrialisation, supporting the private sector and attainment of Vision 2030 that seeks to have transformed Zimbabwe into an Upper-Middle Income economy by then.

Mnangagwa was presented with 60 tonnes of cement by PPC Zimbabwe at the handover.