A proposed multi- billion cyber city project in Marondera — touted as one of the largest private-sector investments in Mashonaland East province — is hanging in the balance amid allegations that the Marondera Municipality and delays in the justice system are crippling progress.
The intentional delays to progress by Marondera Municipality negate unfavourably on the Presidential 2030 Vision.
Businessman and liberation struggle veteran John Fadzisayi Jani, the project’s architect, says the cyber city has been stuck for months because the municipality continues to illegally allocate residential stands on land that the Lands Ministry officially confirmed belongs to him.
The dispute has escalated into a legal battle, but Jani says the courts are moving too slowly to protect both his investment and national economic interests.
“The elephant in the room is corruption within various government systems, including local authorities,” Jani said.
“Certain departments are supportive, but some bureaucratic bungling is slowing down progress.”
The project, earmarked for Elmswood Farm, is expected to create 15 000 jobs and position Marondera as a regional technological hub.
But instead of cooperating with the investor, Jani alleged thatMarondera Municipality has been actively undermining the development.
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According to him, council officials have continued parcelling out stands on the contested land, even after official communication from the Lands Ministry confirmed he is the lawful owner.
Jani accused officials of deliberately attempting to regularise illegal settlements through backdoor processes that directly contradict national investment priorities.
“They keep allocating stands as if the land is vacant and uncontested,” he said.
“It is sabotage disguised as administration.
“To no one’s surprise Marondera Municipality has a lot of land in other peripheries where they should focus on their development.”
With the dispute now before the courts, Jani said the slow pace of the judiciary is compounding the problem.
The war veteran warns that the legal bottlenecks are eroding investor confidence and putting the entire multi-billion development at risk.
He argued that the delays send a damaging message to both local and foreign investors: that lawful investments in Zimbabwe can be held hostage by administrative misconduct and sluggish legal processes.
“The case is in court, but the pace is worrying,” Jani said. “Investors don’t wait forever. These delays threaten not only the project but the economic gains it promises.”
Jani has worked closely with the late national heroes Edison Sithole, former Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku, the former late advisor to Joshua Nkomo, SotayiKatsere and George Mudukuti during the liberation struggle.
He said the economic philosophy he inherited from them forms the backbone of his business vision — a vision he believes aligns squarely with the ideals of the Third Chimurenga.
“This cyber city is my contribution to economic independence,” he said.
“It is designed to create lasting opportunities for Zimbabweans.”
