For three consecutive years, the Mutale family’s farming activities have been thrown into disarray amid allegations that corrupt officials are attempting to force them off their land, threatening crop production and livelihoods at a critical time in the agricultural calendar.
The family, which occupies a 122-hectare farm acquired by their parents during the land reform programme, said the dispute has escalated just as the summer cropping season is at its peak — a period when uninterrupted access to land is essential for planting, crop management and food security.
According to the family, farming operations have been repeatedly disrupted by individuals claiming authority over the land, allegedly acting with the backing of politically connected officials within land administration structures.
“What should be our busiest and most productive season has instead become a period of uncertainty,” a family representative said.
“Inputs are in the ground, but constant disturbances are affecting operations, workers’ morale and our ability to plan.”
The Mutales alleged that efforts to displace them are rooted in corrupt manipulation of land records, rather than any lawful administrative process.
They said this has resulted in the appearance of alleged caretakers on the farm, who have interfered with daily operations and intimidated workers.
Their case is before the High Court.
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At Just Right Farm in Mhondoro-Ngezi, several families have lost their pieces of land after it was illegally parcelled out by a former Air Force of Zimbabwe staff, Fanuel Mangezi.
Investigations carried by Truth Diggers revealed that the land allegedly seized illegally by Mangezi spans over 32 hectares, with several residential and farming structures already built, and multiple boreholes drilled.
The development has sparked tensions among affected individuals, some of whom claim they were never consulted or compensated.
In a letter in the possession of Truth Diggers, one of the victims, Joseph Chikwenhere said he failed to get assistance at the lands office, as they could not find any information related to the ownership of his property in their database.
“In 2019, I visited the plot and was shocked to find that a structure (a hut) had been erected on the main field despite another person still residing on our land at that time,” Chikwenhere said.
“I reported this to the lands office at Mashayamombe, but to my surprise I was told that my father’s name no longer appeared in their system.
“This was extremely distressing especially because prior to this visit, his name had always been listed as the property owner.
“This land is not only a physical inheritance, but also holds deep sentimental value as the last remaining legacy of my father. I kindly appeal to the Ministry of Lands to assist me in rectifying this matter.”
Across the province, thousands of people were evicted from Willdale Farm in Mt Hampden, following a High Court order in favor of the property owner, Willdale Limited.
The evictions, which took place in late November and early December, left an estimated 7 000 families stranded by the roadside without basic necessities.
The affected families, many of whom are long-standing residents and former migrant workers, claim to have lived on the property for over 20 years, some since 1986.
Among those displaced were children, the elderly and orphans from a local children's home that was also demolished.
The Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission expressed deep concern over the mass evictions, flagging potential legal failings in the process and emphasising the need for human rights to be respected.
The government has since identified alternative land in Nyabira for the evictees.
In late 2024, more than 150 families at Old Citrus Farm on the outskirts of Chinhoyi town were living in the open after their homes and property had been burnt to the ground for the umpteenth time as the battle over the ownership of the piece of land turned nasty.
For close to a month, the settlers, most of them who occupied Old Citrus Farm at the peak of the land reform programme in 2002, were harassed, beaten and ordered off the farm by police as well as businessman and property mogul Phillip Chiyangwa’s son, Bruce and his “friends”.
The settlers said they had not known peace at the farm since 2015.
Four years ago, the High Court authorised Chiyangwa to evict the settlers who had approached the courts seeking to stop their eviction from the farm.
The courts said the invasion of the farm was in violation in terms of Section 3 of the Gazetted Lands and Consequential Provisions Act, which prohibits continued occupation of gazetted land 90 days after the gazetted date.
However, the settlers stayed put at Old Citrus Farm arguing that they also deserved a fair share of the 3 477-hectare piece of land as per the aspirations of the liberation struggle.
They said the major goal of the land reform programme was to address the issue of land ownership, which was heavily skewed in favour of white commercial farmers.
For more than two decades, Mashonaland West province has carried an uncomfortable reputation - a province where land corruption has become deeply entrenched, sophisticated and increasingly violent.
While land disputes occur across Zimbabwe, Mashonaland West province now stands out as a hotspot of illegal allocations, displacement and high-level manipulation, fuelled by its proximity to the capital and its rich, fertile landscape.
From Mhondoro-Ngezi to Karoi, and the chaotic urban developments at Spitzkop and Reinham, Mashonaland West has become synonymous with contested land, fake offer letters, parallel structures of authority and a growing abuse of power by officials linked to both the Lands Ministry and Local Government structures.
According to a report by the Cato Institute, the chaotic land redistribution from the early 2000s led to tens of billions of dollars in lost agricultural production, imports, and compensation liabilities.
Systemic corruption across sectors including land have seen Zimbabwe losing US$1.8 billion annually, totalling US$9 billion over five years — which bleeds the economy deeply.
Mashonaland West’s strategic location has made it a magnet for land seekers and opportunists alike.
The province borders Harare, the capital city, making it the preferred destination for urban spill over.
According to local planning data, more than 40% of new peri-urban settlements around Harare between 2010 and 2024 emerged in Mashonaland West, intensifying competition for land.
The province hosts some of Zimbabwe’s most fertile soils and meteorological records show it receives an annual average rainfall of 750-1 000 mm, higher than most provinces.
“Its good soils and favourable weather patterns attract both legitimate farmers and corrupt syndicates seeking valuable plots,” said a source with the Lands ministry.
Truth Diggers established that a large chunk of reported land scandals involves officials from Lands or Local Government ministries, many operating with backing from senior figures who frustrate investigations.
Beneficiaries of Exwick Farm in Chegutu have, for years, battled double allocations and forged documents issued by syndicates linked to government officials.
Investigations by Truth Diggers at several farms in Chegutu reveal that several settlers have fraudulent documents which makes them susceptible to frequent evictions and clashes.
“We have a situation where land is being sold illegally by land barons and some politically-connected people and these deals are not known by the Lands ministry,” said one farmer at Exwick Farm.
“We have witnessed state-enabled land corruption where syndicates operate with impunity, collecting money from desperate home seekers.”
Lands ministry insiders said most beneficiaries have no legally valid land tenure, despite having paid for land through “official channels” involving individuals tied to district offices.
“The situation is tricky and most of these people can be evicted although they have been paying the taxes,” said a senior official in the Lands ministry.
Truth Diggers has also established that over the last five years, several families have been displaced after officials and land barons resold occupied land to new beneficiaries in Spitzkop, Nyabira and Norton, among other parts of Zvimba East.
Residents said powerful actors with connections to Harare frequently override local structures, leading to endless evictions.
“We have seen most people being moved and new occupants coming in and building very big houses,” said one vendor at Matombo in the Spitzkop area.
“There are people buying residential stands, displacing people who came here during the land reform programme.”
Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (Zacc) spokesperson Simiso Mlevu said there was a likelihood that corruption was rampant within the Lands ministry or Local Government ministry since there were the ones entrusted by land management in the country.
“There is a strong likelihood that corrupt practices may be occurring within the Ministry of Lands or the Ministry of Local Government, given that these institutions are legally mandated to oversee land administration and management in the country,” Mlevu said.
Communities across Mashonaland West province reveal a disturbing pattern: corrupt practices are rarely perpetrated by rogue individuals, but by networks involving lands officers, surveyors, physical planning personnel and political intermediaries.
Lands ministry’s permanent secretary Obert Jiri conceded that corruption involving personnel within his ministry was rampant, but said efforts were being done to address the issue with support from Zacc.
Minister of State for Provincial Affairs for Mashonaland West Marian Chombo could not be reached for comment.
Mashonaland West’s land woes reflect a national crisis, but the province’s strategic location and natural endowments have made it the epicentre of corruption, displacement, and contested authority.
*This article was produced by Truth Diggers, an investigative journalism unit under Alpha Media Holdings (AMH), publishers of NewsDay, Zim Independent, The Standard and Southern Eye. AMH also operates an online broadcasting channel, H&Stv.
