Manyame RDC Denies Existence Of “Sabhuku Deals” Regularisation Programme

Manyame Rural District Council has raised concern over the mushrooming of illegal structures in Seke Communal Lands and surrounding peri-urban farms, saying bogus cooperatives and land barons are exploiting desperate home seekers with forged council documents.

In a statement, Manyame RDC chief executive officer Farirai Guta said the council is deeply concerned about illegal occupations at Bracemer, Kimcote, Gilston, Dunnottar and Longlands farms, as well as at Murisa Rural Service Centre and across nearly 20 villages in Seke. These include Madamombe, Majaya, Chakahwata, Bwoni, Mutodzwa, Mandedza, Chinamano, Musoko, Chinhanga, Mudimu and others in wards 1 to 19.

She said there is no ongoing regularisation programme for so-called “Sabhuku deals”, despite claims being made by individuals and bogus companies.

“All the alleged council receipts, waiting list forms, enforcement and prohibition orders being issued in Seke are forged and did not originate from council,” Guta said. “No person, company or cooperative has been authorised to take payments on behalf of council.”

Home-seekers have been advised to pay only at the council’s head office in Beatrice or at its sub-offices in Dema and Guzha (Chikwanha).

She said council officials serving enforcement orders under the Regional, Town and Country Planning Act will not demand any money, and residents are simply required to comply and restore the land to its original state.

Guta warned that buyers risk both their cash and prosecution. “Besides losing your hard-earned cash, anyone caught engaging in such illicit transactions shall be prosecuted and all illegal structures shall be demolished,” she said.

The council stressed that development is only lawful where there is an approved layout plan, a development permit, a communal land permit, or a valid lease.

Urban stand owners must also have council-approved building plans, with inspections carried out at each stage of construction.

Outlining the correct procedure, Guta said there is a 10-step process for communal land. Outsiders must first obtain a clearance letter from their home village. The local village head then convenes a meeting, and minutes and recommendations are submitted to the council. The Environmental Management Agency (EMA) and AGRITEX assess the suitability of the land. The application then goes through council committees before pegging is carried out. A 50m by 50m stand is allocated, and a communal land permit, which does not confer ownership and cannot be sold, is issued by the CEO.

Seke communal lands were originally rural farming areas. However, due to long municipal housing waiting lists in Harare and Chitungwiza, and the high cost of formal serviced stands, thousands of desperate home seekers have turned to peri-urban areas.

Seke is particularly attractive because of its proximity to the capital. Sabhukus (village heads) have capitalised on this demand by subdividing communal grazing land, fields and vacant plots, and selling them to people looking to build homes.