An individual accused of illegally developing and selling 49 residential plots in Crowborough, Harare, has been arrested and appeared in court on Tuesday, November 19.
Voyage Dhambuza, a resident of Warren Park, was brought before Magistrate Dennis Mangosi after being charged with unlawfully distributing land. According to reports by H-Metro, Dhambuza is said to have been running his illicit operations since 2016.
The City of Harare, represented by Housing Director Samuel Nyabezi, is the complainant in the case.
In 2016, Dhambuza allegedly founded the New Dawn Housing Pay Scheme, which consisted of 49 members. By 2022, he reportedly identified an open area, Harare City Council land (Stand No. 4273 in Crowborough), which spans 7.4 hectares, and began illegally occupying it.
Dhambuza is said to have cleared the land, created roads, and divided it into 49 residential plots, each approximately 300 square meters. He then allocated these plots to individuals seeking homes, without obtaining the necessary approval from the city council.
Despite warnings from Harare City Council, Dhambuza allowed the construction of two houses on the site. Following a police report, investigations confirmed that Dhambuza and his trust had illegally seized council land, violating Section 24(1)(4) of the Regional, Town, and Country Planning Act (Chapter 29:12).
The issue of land barons—individuals or groups who illegally sell state or council land—has been an ongoing problem in Harare. These land barons often exploit the desperation of people in need of housing, selling land they do not own, leading to the creation of unauthorized settlements without proper infrastructure.
Many of these land barons are believed to have connections with political figures, which enables them to carry out their operations with little resistance. In response, the City of Harare has been forced to demolish thousands of illegal structures, displacing many families and prompting public outcry and government intervention.
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