By A Correspondent| In what is being described as a brazen act of corruption and political manipulation, several farms earmarked for development by the Manyame Rural District Council (MRDC) have reportedly been seized and parceled out to politically connected elites under opaque and controversial circumstances.
The affected farms—Dinnotar, Kimcote, Gilstone, Tantalon, and Edinburgh—fall under the jurisdiction of MRDC. However, the local authority has effectively been stripped of any development land, throwing future planning efforts into disarray.
According to sources, Edinburgh Farm was allegedly allocated to Pinnacle Holdings, owned by businessman and ZANU PF politician Phillip Chiyangwa; Dinnotar was reportedly handed to Godwills Masimirembwa; while Gilstone was offered to CFI Holdings. Most alarming, insiders say, is the fate of Gilstone Farm, which had previously been offered to MRDC for a housing scheme under the Gilstone Rural Service Centre initiative. The project was designed to address the acute housing shortage in Seke District and reduce the burden on residents who travel long distances to Beatrice.
Documents seen by this publication reveal that the late Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs Minister, Dr. Joel Biggie Matiza, had formally recommended the farm for council development. Detailed plans were drawn up, roads were graded, and a tuck survey was conducted. MRDC had also pledged to offer affordable housing, particularly targeting youths in the province.
However, the project was abruptly reversed by then Minister of Lands, Douglas Mombeshora. In a letter dated 7 October 2016, he informed the then incoming Minister of Provincial Affairs, Retired Brigadier General Ambrose Mutinhiri, that the land was earmarked for agricultural use and instructed the council to find an alternative site for residential development.
On the same day, then Minister of Rural Development, Abednico Ncube, wrote to Mombeshora requesting that part of Gilstone and Kimcote be allocated to the council for residential stands. The request was denied. A similar appeal from acting Provincial Administrator Mr. Kutamahufa, dated 21 September 2016, also went unanswered.
Ironically, part of the land was later taken over by the Lands Housing Trust—an entity allegedly linked to Mombeshora himself—and a private housing scheme was established near the Skyline Tollgate. This publication is in possession of multiple letters from MRDC protesting the takeover and pleading for intervention, all to no avail.
Fast-forward to 2025, and the same land has reportedly been subdivided and distributed among well-connected individuals, leaving MRDC landless and unable to meet the growing demand for residential stands. In desperation, local residents have resorted to “Sabhuku deals”—informal agreements with village heads—to secure land for shelter.
At the centre of the controversy is current Minister of Local Government and ZANU PF Mashonaland East Provincial Chairperson, Dr. Daniel Garwe, who is alleged to be presiding over the current wave of land grabs. Several political figures, speaking on condition of anonymity, accused Garwe of sidelining Seke and obstructing MRDC’s development plans.
Sources indicate that desperate stakeholders are now lobbying for direct intervention from President Emmerson Mnangagwa to resolve the impasse.
Documents in our possession show that MRDC has been pursuing the Gilstone development project since 1997 and had already committed over US$1.7 million toward its implementation. The project was expected to yield at least 10,000 housing units.
Seke has become a hotspot for illegal land sales and invasions, further complicating the already volatile land situation.
When contacted for comment, MRDC Chairman Ian Manyere expressed cautious optimism that Minister Garwe would ultimately support the council’s bid to secure land for development. District Planner Mr. Cosmas Murepa is reportedly making ongoing efforts to engage the ministry on the matter.
Meanwhile, the council is also grappling with multiple legal disputes stemming from land allocations it made at Gilstone before losing control of the property.
MRDC Chief Executive Officer, Dr. Farirai Guta, had not responded to questions by the time of publication.