By Staff Reporter
HARARE — Zimbabwe Lands Commissioner Tsitsi Choruma faces possible contempt of court proceedings after allegedly breaching a High Court order barring her from entering or occupying disputed land at Amandas Estate in Mazowe.
Businessman Prosper Muchenje’s lawyers are preparing an urgent application seeking to have Choruma held in contempt after she allegedly moved onto the property and recently fenced off sections of the farm.
The dispute dates back to 2022, when then lands minister Anxious Masuka allocated 50 hectares of the 200-hectare estate to Choruma.
Muchenje challenged the allocation, arguing that it was procedurally flawed and failed to take account of his existing interests in the property.
Justice Neville Wamambo subsequently issued an interdict barring Choruma from entering, occupying or carrying out activities on the disputed land.
Muchenje’s lawyers now allege that Choruma moved onto the property earlier this year despite the order and began asserting physical control over the contested portion.
About 15 hectares of maize were allegedly destroyed during the occupation, according to Muchenje’s representatives.
A borehole was later drilled and equipment brought onto the property, they said.
Fencing off the disputed sections has now escalated the confrontation, with Muchenje’s legal team arguing that the move amounts to an attempt to establish permanent control over land still before the courts.
Court documents cited by Muchenje’s lawyers show that the wider Amandas Estate was allocated to him under Zimbabwe’s land reform programme in 2013.
Muchenje is said to have occupied, developed and farmed the property for several years before Masuka’s 2022 allocation to Choruma triggered the legal battle.
The dispute has also raised questions about Choruma’s conduct as Lands Commissioner and the administration of agricultural land by state authorities.
Muchenje’s representatives said they sought police assistance after the alleged destruction of the maize but were unable to have a docket opened after the matter was characterised as a land dispute.
That decision has raised concerns over how police handle allegations of criminal conduct arising from disputes over agricultural land.
Contacted for comment, Choruma declined to discuss the substance of the dispute.
“I do not want to talk about this issue,” she said, while proposing a public interview with Muchenje to allow both sides to address the matter openly.
Masuka, whose decision to allocate the disputed 50 hectares triggered the court challenge, has also come under scrutiny over the continuing dispute.
Muchenje’s lawyers are expected to approach the High Court urgently to seek contempt proceedings over the alleged violation of Wamambo’s order.
If the court finds that Choruma knowingly breached the order, it could impose sanctions against her.
The case has now widened beyond competing claims to the farm, putting the enforcement of court orders and the conduct of officials involved in agricultural land administration under scrutiny.
Separately, the ministry of lands
had not responded by the time of publication to questions about the alleged occupation and fencing of the disputed land or its position on the existing High Court order.
