By Victor Fanuel
Goromonzi – Allegations of high-level corruption have surfaced against President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration amid revelations that prominent businessman and presidential ally, Muller Conrad “Billy” Rautenbach, is set to receive over 1,000 hectares of farmland in Goromonzi as compensation for a property he allegedly never legally owned.
The contentious transaction, initially exposed by investigative outlet The NewsHawks, has sparked widespread outrage as it threatens the displacement of long-settled local farmers, including war veterans and Zimbabwe’s reigning Young Farmer of the Year.
Critics have labelled the deal a blatant case of unjust enrichment and a fresh example of systemic corruption within the upper echelons of government.
At the centre of the controversy are two parcels of land: Springs Farm and the adjacent Stuhm Farm in Mashonaland East Province. These highly productive farms are now slated for an urban development project linked to Rautenbach, prompting accusations of fraud, deception, and government complicity.
According to sources, Mnangagwa personally sanctioned the eviction of farmers from the farms to compensate Rautenbach for land he claimed to have lost in Harare’s Aspindale Park area. However, this claim is mired in legal uncertainty, as investigations suggest Rautenbach may never have legally held title to the land in question.
A letter dated March 14, 2025, from Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe to Rautenbach’s company, Marimba Residential Properties Limited, confirms that government has offered him two large tracts of land as “total and final compensation” for property in Aspindale Park and Salisbury Park—together measuring approximately 180 hectares.
“The Ministry of Local Government and Public Works is pleased to offer you Subdivision B of Springs measuring 671.7604 hectares and Remainder of Lot 2 of Stuhm inclusive of Lot 1 of Lot 2 of Stuhm and Lot 2 of Lot 2 of Stuhm measuring collectively 412.1091 hectares,” reads part of the letter.
“This offer forms as the total and final compensation for Stand 48 Aspindale Park Township of Subdivision A of Aspindale Park of Subdivision A and B of Lochnivar measuring 100.01 hectares and the Remaining Extent of Salisbury Park of Lochinvar measuring 80.7875 hectares which the Government allocated to housing cooperatives.
“The Ministry shall facilitate title deeds processing once you accept the offer. Government also expects simultaneous transfer of your properties to the State in order to bring the compensation issue to finality.”
However, documents and court records raise serious questions about the legitimacy of the compensation. A High Court ruling dated March 25, 2019, found that Rautenbach’s companies—Marimba Residential Properties and Marimba Industrial Properties—were not registered with the Registrar of Companies at the time they laid claim to the land in 2018.
Further complicating the matter, the land in Aspindale Park was previously allocated by government in 2004 to the Joshua Nkomo Housing Co-operative for residential development. The cooperative and its affiliates went on to allocate stands to beneficiaries, who proceeded to build permanent homes.
Despite this, Rautenbach later claimed ownership, leading to efforts by the then Local Government Minister July Moyo to revoke the cooperative’s rights—an attempt ultimately nullified by Justice Philda Muzofa, who ruled that the minister’s action was unlawful.
Despite the High Court decision, Mnangagwa reportedly instructed lands and agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka to provide Rautenbach with land in Goromonzi as compensation—an area more than five times larger than the original contested land.
Farmers currently occupying Springs Farm have strongly opposed the evictions, citing decades of investment into infrastructure, irrigation systems, livestock, and agricultural development.
Some farmers entered into joint ventures with private investors, agreements that include the government as a formal signatory.
Adding to the controversy, a new land dispute has emerged regarding further allocations on Stuhm Farm.
This particular section of land was reportedly sold to Members of Parliament from the Eighth Parliament under the Goromonzi District in 2019, with lease agreements having been executed shortly thereafter.
Observers and civil society organisations have condemned the developments as emblematic of elite capture and a deepening crisis of land governance in Zimbabwe. As the controversy unfolds, pressure is mounting on the Mnangagwa administration to provide full transparency and uphold the rule of law in resolving land disputes fairly and legally.
