Sabhuku Deals : Homes Demolished

When bulldozers rolled into Mushandike, Masvingo province, in early 2024, the life that Esther Mativenga had painstakingly built was reduced to rubble in a matter of minutes.

 

“It is like a thief in the night stole everything,” she said, struggling to contain the pain she still endures.

 

“This was not just a house; it was our future. We poured everything we had into it, believing sabhuku’s word.”

Esther’s ordeal is part of a much larger crisis unfolding across Zimbabwe, where illegal land allocations by some traditional leaders — known locally as sabhukus — are leaving families uprooted, penniless and homeless.

 

While the Mushandike incident grabbed headlines, similar tragedies are being reported throughout the country.

 

In Domboshava, settlements sprout overnight, only to be declared illegal months later.

 

It is the same case in Seke, where buyers discover too late that the letters of allocation they received are worthless.

 

In Kadoma, Chimanimani, Chihota and Gokwe, the same pattern repeats itself.

 

Most often, the land is sold under the guise of custom in transactions that are not recognised by the law.

 

Communities in the Matabeleland region are not spared too.

 

Villagers in Matobo and Lupane recount how plots were parcelled out by sabhukus without the approval of rural district councils (RDCs).

 

In Nkayi and Bulilima, desperate land seekers paid hefty fees, only to later realise that their landholdings had no legal standing.

 

From Chiredzi to Hwange, the evidence is clear: Sabhuku land deals are not isolated scams but a nationwide phenomenon destabilising families and entire communities.

 

The headlines may speak of demolitions and arrests, but behind each case are distraught victims.

 

John Mbava, a carpenter in Mushandike, had just completed a four-room home for his family when it was demolished.

 

“They took away more than bricks and mortar. They took away our hope,” he said.

 

Just outside Harare, 49-year-old Jotamu Ruwona was charged around US$3 000 per hectare by his sabhuku in Seke.

 

Only later did he learn the allocation was fraudulent, with proceeds allegedly shared among officials as kickbacks.

 

His family has been left in limbo, unsure whether to abandon their investment or fight for recognition.

 

These stories, though separated by geography, have a common theme of ordinary Zimbabweans desperate for land and paying the price for deals that are legally void from the outset.

 

It has now become common to witness upmarket houses tucked haphazardly among village thatched huts, creating a pattern that indicates poor planning.

 

Legal and planning experts argue this transformation stems from a thriving illegal land market that flourishes due to cheap prices and ease of purchase. Areas mostly affected are those surrounding Harare.

 

Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister Dr Anxious Masuka has since clarified the issue.

 

“Once again, may I remind the public that, in terms of the Gazetted Lands (Consequential Provisions) Act (Chapter 20:28), it is a crime to occupy rural State land without authority. All illegal occupiers of such land should immediately vacate rural State land. Failure to vacate may result in prosecution,” he said in a recent statement.

 

His counterpart, Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe, also shared the Government’s position.

 

“In Zimbabwe, chiefs should follow the Customary Law and Local Courts Act, the Communal Lands Act and the Constitution of the country. The chief should ensure that land is preserved; no land should be sold through sabhuku deals,” he said. New miners who wish to receive daily news updates from Ignite Media Zimbabwe should WhatsApp ‘join’ to 071 9999 012. However, despite these clear directives, gaps in enforcement and limited awareness have allowed sabhukus to exploit the system.

 

Many issue letters on paper that bear signatures and stamps mimicking official RDC letterheads, giving a false veneer of legitimacy.

 

Similarly, there are reports that some parties do not enter into written agreements, even though they pay the required money to the seller.

 

Miriam Tose Majome, a lawyer and commissioner with the Zimbabwe Media Commission, argued in a contribution to one of our sister papers that “No title deeds or valid cessions are possible since all transactions violate the Communal Lands Act, which restricts communal land to kinship-based allocation.

 

“Under Section 8, communal land cannot be sold and occupancy rights cannot be ceded without proper authority . . . Section 3 vests communal land in the President, while Section 8 prohibits sales and unauthorised transfers.

 

“Only the rural district council, after consultation with traditional leaders, can allocate land rights. Chiefs and headmen lack authority to authorise land sales, though they may facilitate proper allocation procedures.”

 

Between January and mid-February 2024, Operation “No to Land Barons and Illegal Settlements” resulted in 3 775 arrests, of which 985 people were convicted, while the remaining cases are before the courts.

 

Some of those arrested were sabhukus themselves; others were land barons and illegal settlers.

 

In Kadoma, for example, Sabhuku Ignatius Tazvivinga, under Chief Mupamombe, faces fraud charges for allegedly selling land owned by the Kadoma City Council.

 

He reportedly collected around US$250 per buyer using forged affidavits to purportedly legitimise the sales.

 

The prosecutions are just a tip of the iceberg.

 

The demand for land continues to outstrip supply, particularly around growth points and peri-urban settlements, creating fertile ground for unscrupulous actors. Sunday Mail