The echoes of Zimbabwe’s tumultuous land reform program, a defining chapter in the nation’s history, continue to reverberate through the corridors of power, as former first lady Grace Mugabe finds herself locked in a bitter legal battle to reclaim land once held by her family.
The whispers of a calculated onslaught against the former first family are growing louder, with reports surfacing that vast swathes of land belonging to Grace Mugabe, her daughter Bona, and other close relatives have been repossessed by the government. This land grab, reminiscent of the tumultuous land reform program that defined Mugabe’s rule, has seen the former first lady’s expansive Mazowe citrus farm, home to an orphanage and the Amai Mugabe School, handed over to Home Affairs Minister Kazembe Kazembe.
Kazembe, it is whispered, has grand plans for the property, envisioning a bustling mall in place of the once-thriving farm. This move, coupled with the seizure of other Mugabe family holdings, has sparked accusations of a targeted assault orchestrated by the late president’s successor, President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In 2019, Mnangagwa said an audit had revealed that Grace owned 16 farms.
The Zanu PF leader has also repeatedly warned that people holding huge tracts of land will be dispossessed in line with the government’s one family one farm policy.
Sources close to the former first family claim that the land seizures are part of a calculated campaign to undermine and diminish their influence within Zimbabwean political circles. “This is a clear attempt to erase the Mugabe legacy and consolidate power,” remarked a source, speaking on condition of anonymity. “The government is using the land reform program as a weapon to silence and marginalise those who remain loyal to the former president.”
The land grab extends beyond Grace Mugabe’s holdings. Bona, her only daughter, has lost much of her farm in Mashonaland Central to the widow of the late Zanla commander Josiah Magama Tongagara, Angeline. “Tongogara’s wife is now working with the son of the white former farmer, Lance Kennedy to utilise the land,” a Ministry of Lands official revealed, adding, “She took centre pivots that were bought by Bona.”
The former first lady, however, is not backing down. She is currently engaged in a legal battle to stop the Mazowe Rural District Council (MRDC) from parcelling out land from her farm where she built an orphanage. Grace is seeking to stop the MRDC from selling land from her Smithfield Farm, which lies adjacent to her school and orphanage, and also wants a private company that is building a shopping mall, Mazowe Mall, to stop the developments on her property, The Standard has reported.
The land is registered under the Grace Mugabe Foundation. In a letter to the MRDC, Mugabe’s lawyers Chimwamurombe Legal Practitioners stated that the MRDC has no legal right to the land and should stop selling it.
“Our client has noted that you have continued with allowing construction of Mazowe Mall on land, which was allocated to our client by the ministry responsible for Land and Rural Resettlement without responding to our inquiries as to the basis on which the said development was allowed,” the lawyers wrote in a letter dated November 23, 2023.
The letter was directed to the MRDC chief executive officer.
“We believe your actions are unlawful as your office has no legal right to the said property and, therefore, unable to allocate the said land to third parties. As such, we are instructing that you immediately cease all allocations and sales of land allocated to our client.”
The lawyers added: “By copy of this letter, we hereby notify the persons working on the Mazowe Mall site to halt all activities failing, which legal proceedings will be instituted against all parties involved.”
The Grace Mugabe Foundation had earlier in 2022 written another letter to the MRDC raising the same concerns, and some developers immediately stopped. The November 23 letter was written after construction of the Mazowe Mall resumed.
The MRDC, however, maintains that the land falls under its jurisdiction. “Our position is that we are still obtaining substantive instructions from our client,” RDC lawyers Madzingira and Nhokwara wrote in response to Mugabe’s legal team. “May you kindly bear with ourselves in the interim as we prepare a detailed response to your aforementioned letter. Notwithstanding, we will endeavour to respond as soon as we are fully instructed, without any undue delays.”
The case is now before the High Court, Commercial Division under case number HCHC 121/23. The case is proceeding for trial.
The case also highlights the ongoing power struggles within Zimbabwe’s political landscape. The Mugabe family, once synonymous with power and influence, is now facing a concerted effort to diminish their stature.
