The land,
occupied and developed by local farmers including war veterans for over two
decades, was transferred to Rautenbach’s company, Marimba Residential
Properties Limited, on June 5, 2025, before a High Court challenge by the
displaced farmers could be heard.
The High Court
case is due before the courts on July 17.
Springs Farm
measures about 600 hectares. Prominent people at the farm affected by
relocation include former Chitungwiza mayor and Zanu PF central committee
member Joseph Macheka, retired army major Alfred Chademana and war veterans
identified as Cdes Chikomo, Mangisa and Muza.
Chikomo’s son,
Uniko, was recently honoured as one of the young farmers of the year for 2024
at an awards ceremony facilitated by the Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water
and Rural Development ministry.
The farmers,
who had their offer letters withdrawn despite having made long-term investments
on the property, have since applied to the High Court to halt the transfer.
At Stuhm Farm,
almost 200 stands, measuring about 400 hectares, were sold to legislators and
government officials in 2019, but all the land has since been allocated to
Rautenbach.
Agriculture
minister Anxious Masuka and his Local Government counterpart Daniel Garwe have
faced criticism over the decision, with farmers accusing them of allegedly
favouring Rautenbach and “attempting to reverse the land reform programme”.
In a March 14,
2025, letter, Garwe offered Rautenbach over 1 000 hectares, including Springs
and neighbouring Stuhm Farm, as compensation for his claim over 180 hectares in
Harare’s Aspindale Park.
However, court
records show that Rautenbach’s claim to the Aspindale land was dismissed in a
2019 High Court ruling. Justice Philda Muzofa found that his companies had no
legal title to the property, which had been allocated to housing co-operatives
in 2004.
The
reallocation has also affected current and former MPs who were granted leases
on Stuhm Farm in 2019 under a government redistribution programme to urbanise
the land. Many had invested in infrastructure, including joint ventures and
irrigation systems under agreements running until 2029.
The dispute
raises questions about Zimbabwe’s land tenure policies, particularly President
Emmerson Mnangagwa’s title deeds programme, which aims to secure property
rights for citizens. Critics argue that the reallocation undermines this
initiative by displacing established farmers in favour of a private developer.
One of the
affected farmers, Uniko, son of war vet
Chikomo, expressed frustration, citing his family’s contributions to land
development and questioning the fairness of the process. The case remains
unresolved as legal and political scrutiny continues.
Former
legislator, Trevor Saruwaka, who was MP for Mutasa Central from 2018 to 2023
and is the secretary of the Stuhm Residents Association, accused the government
of corruption.
“There are over
180 stands and we bought the land from the Ministry of Local Government after
negotiations were carried out by the Parliament of Zimbabwe. More than 80
current and former MPs across the political divide were allocated the land.
Even senior officials from the ministry were also allocated the same land. We
are outraged and we suspect that some form of corruption transpired.
“Even if the
minister felt compelled to give Mr Rautenbach the land, we do not understand
why he was given over 1 000ha, when the land that was due to him is said to be
about 100ha. All this smacks of corruption, especially as Rautenbach was
allocated an offer letter when the matter is pending before the courts.”
Chademana,
whose farm measures just over 100ha from the 600ha of Spring Farm allocated to
Rautenbach on Friday, said:
“I was
allocated this farm in 2001, as part of the war vets quota. I moved here in
2002 and have carried out many developments including a modern house,
irrigation and even a school, on the part of the farm which was not arable. I
was shocked when in 2023, some officials from the Ministry of Agriculture came
to the farm, saying they wanted to do some inspections.
“In 2024, the
officials returned and said that they were going to withdraw my offer letter
because the farm was allocated for urban expansion.
“I even argued
that if that was the case, as farmers we would be able to do urban expansion by
ourselves. However, the officials proceeded to withdraw my offer letter. I then
sought an audience with Minister Masuku who refused to see our group. We were then
able to see Minister Garwe?
He said they
were going to give the 1 000ha of land to Rautenbach.
“I asked him
why this was the case. He said it was a directive from the President. I do not
believe he was being truthful. My question is what is so special about
Rautenbach that he was given almost 10 times what the ministers claim to owe
him?
“Why he do his
rights seem to be more supreme over everyone else? One thing you need to
understand is that the government is not even offering compensation for our
farms, They are just saying we should leave. Also, why was he given the offer
letter when the matter is still before the courts. It is outrageous.”
While Masuka
and Garwe were not available yesterday, documents show the farm was handed over
on June 5 this year. Newsday
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