Two well-known Zanu PF land barons, Godhati Dunira (57) and Ephraim Gwanongodza (59) — masterminds behind the development of Victoria Ranch, Masvingo’s largest and newest suburb — have been arrested for allegedly grabbing land worth an estimated US$1 million.
The pair faces fraud charges after being accused of illegally taking over land belonging to ShinePlus Holdings, one of Zimbabwe’s biggest landholding companies with property investments across the country.
Dunira and Gwanongodza, who are directors of Rajavik Investments, were remanded in custody last Thursday.
According to investigators, the two devised a scheme in 2022 to fleece desperate home-seekers by unlawfully selling 50 hectares of land originally allocated to ShinePlus by the Ministry of Local Government in 2019. They allegedly drew up their own layout plan for part of Victoria Ranch, pegged residential and commercial stands, and went on to collect payments ranging from US$2 000 to US$7 500 from unsuspecting clients.
The scam was exposed in September 2025, leading to a police report and their subsequent arrest. Authorities are opposing bail, citing ongoing investigations that suggest the land value involved could be much higher than initially revealed.
Notably, both ShinePlus and Rajavik Investments had previously appeared before the Commission of Inquiry on the Sale of State Land in 2018, which recommended a probe into their dealings. Despite Justice Tendai Uchena’s report exposing widespread land corruption, little action has been taken since, with only one conviction recorded in Gweru while many findings were left unaddressed by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
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