Land Baron Arrested For Selling 49 Illegal Stands In Crowborough
An alleged land baron who unlawfully developed and sold 49 stands in Crowborough, Harare, has been arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday, November 19.
H-Metro reported that Voyage Dhambuza of Warren Park, who has been allegedly running his criminal enterprise since 2016, was arraigned before magistrate Dennis Mangosi.
The complainant, represented by Housing Director Samuel Nyabezi, is the City of Harare.
In 2016, Dhambuza allegedly formed the New Dawn Housing Pay Scheme, a trust with 49 members. In 2022, he allegedly identified and invaded an open space, Harare City Council land stand number 4273 in Crowborough, measuring 7.4 hectares.
The court heard thatDhambuza opened roads, pegged 49 residential stands of 300 square meters each, and allocated them to desperate home seekers without the council’s authority.
Despite warnings from the City of Harare, Dhambuza allowed the construction of two houses.
A police report was filed, and investigations revealed that Dhambuza, through his trust, invaded council land without authority, contravening Section 24(1)(4) of the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act Chapter 29:12.
Over the years, councils have struggled with land barons—individuals or groups who illegally sell State or council land to desperate home seekers.
These land barons often sell land that isn’t legally theirs, resulting in the creation of illegal settlements without proper planning or infrastructure.
Many land barons are linked to ZANU PF, allowing them to operate with impunity. They forge documents and exploit home seekers’ lack of knowledge about land laws.
In response, the Harare City Council has been forced to demolish thousands of illegal structures, displacing many families.
This situation has caused a public outcry and led to government intervention to halt the demolitions.
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