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Barely a month after President Emmerson Mnangagwa handed over 480 hectares of Arlington Estate to PPC Zimbabwe, a storm is brewing over the land's true ownership, with fresh court documents revealing that it has belonged to the Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative since 2006. According to High Court summons and supporting documents seen by NewZimbabwe.com, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative was offered 530.
25 hectares of Subdivision E of Arlington nearly two decades ago for residential development. The cooperative now alleges that Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe fraudulently altered records in favour of PPC Zimbabwe, whose recent receipt of the land was ceremonially endorsed by President Mnangagwa. Nyikavanhu argues that their offer letter for the land was never formally revoked, and that the cooperative has maintained official communication with government departments since the allocation.
"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 It is illegal because Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative's offer letter for the same land was never withdrawn," reads part of the summons. Court documents allege that PPC Zimbabwe only produced an offer letter dated February 9, 2024, after being cited for illegally erecting billboards claiming ownership of the land.
The cement company later submitted a Deed of Transfer (No: 6168/2024) from the Sheriff of the High Court in March this year, dramatically shifting the legal narrative. "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," the cooperative's lawyers stated.
They claim the entire transaction was part of "a calculated and well-coordinated plan to take over land which had already been allocated" to them. The land, once held by Portland before being gazetted for compulsory acquisition, was originally earmarked for the expansion of Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport, particularly the construction of an additional runway. Documents in Nyikavanhu's possession include a 2011 letter from the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), which gave them clearance to develop the land 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 signed by a P.T Dohwe. Additionally, a letter from the Ministry of Local Government dated November 30, 2010, acknowledges the cooperative's ownership and presence at Arlington Estate Subdivision E.
"This letter serves to confirm that Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative is known and recognised by the office of the Governor and Resident Minister," stated the communication signed by then Acting District Administrator Godfrey Maeresa. The cooperative claims these letters prove official recognition and contradict the recent handover to PPC Zimbabwe. Minister Garwe is now under scrutiny, with Nyikavanhu accusing him of irregularly facilitating the transfer of the land, ultimately drawing Mnangagwa into the controversy.
At the time of the land handover, Mnangagwa's move was widely praised as a step toward industrialisation and private sector development under the Vision 2030 economic blueprint. As part of the ceremony, PPC Zimbabwe presented the President with 60 tonnes of cement in appreciation. However, the unfolding legal dispute and historical evidence now cast a shadow over the legitimacy of that gesture, with growing pressure for clarity and accountability in what is quickly becoming a politically sensitive land wrangle.
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