Victoria Falls blocks illegal land sale linked to city officials

Victoria Falls councillors have overturned the controversial allocation and sale of prime municipal land to Vanele Moyo Trust, acknowledging that the original transaction was illegal and procedurally flawed.

Minutes from the Health, Housing and Community Services Committee meeting held on August 28, 2025, show that council officials admitted issuing an offer letter for a 6 950-square-metre stand to the trust without conducting proper due diligence. The land, identified as stand 8394, was designated strictly for community use, a status protected by government policy which prohibits councils from converting community land for private purposes.

"Council on the 26 of May 2024, made an offer letter erroneously to Vanele Moyo Trust without proper due diligence," the minutes read.
"The department observed that the said piece of land was a reserved stand for community use, of which there was an old circular from the ministry prohibiting the change of use of community land to other uses outside local authority use."

Despite the restriction, the council issued the offer letter on May 26, 2024. By the time the irregularity was detected, the trust had already paid for the stand and begun constructing a perimeter wall. The purchase price was not disclosed.

To avoid potential legal action, council management recommended withdrawing the allocation and identifying an alternative stand for the trust in consultation with the planning department.

"Vanele Moyo Trust had since paid for the land, and there was an ongoing development of the construction of a perimeter wall on the site," the minutes state.
"Management acknowledges the allocation, approves the withdrawal, and allows an alternative site to be identified as a replacement for the stand."

Further complications arose because council policy requires a public tender process for the sale of stands exceeding 4 000 square metres. Committee members therefore proposed that any replacement stand be capped at 4 000 square metres to comply with housing allocation regulations.

"After a stalemate, the committee chairperson supported the alternative site be identified as a replacement for the stand in compliance with the housing allocation policy and the stand identified be not more than 4 000m²," the minutes note.

Attempts to obtain comment from Victoria Falls Mayor Thuso Moyo and town clerk Ronnie Dube were unsuccessful at the time of publication. The Independent also sought clarity on the valuation of the land, the disposal process, and the current status of the reversal, but had received no responses by press time.

The decision highlights ongoing challenges around transparency, due diligence, and compliance with policy in the disposal of community land by local authorities.