Garwe implicated in Harare land scandal

Local Government and Public Works Minister Daniel Garwe has been drawn into a complex land dispute that culminated in the arrest of Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume, his deputy Rosemary Muronda, and former Harare South MP Shadreck Mashayamombe.

The three were arrested after Marvis Java approached the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) alleging that she had been sold a non-existent commercial stand in Newlands, Harare. Mafume was released on the same day of his arrest, while Muronda and Mashayamombe were each granted US$500 bail on Friday after Java withdrew the charges against them.

However, court papers and investigations have since revealed that Minister Garwe played a central role in the dispute, allegedly ordering the transfer of the contested land to Logara Properties and instructing the City of Harare to defy a High Court order that recognised the land as belonging to four companies that had initiated the layout plan.

The four companies are Clean Burn Energy, owned by Mashayamombe; Gemdale Investments, owned by a Chinese businessman identified as Giene; Diexodos Marketing, linked to Muronda; and Aspire Elite Incorporated, linked to Mafume.

According to court documents, the companies began the development process in 2023 and secured a High Court order on July 24 last year after learning that other influential individuals were attempting to take over the land. The order affirmed their interests and allowed them to proceed with the project.

On the same day the court order was issued, Garwe allegedly wrote to the City of Harare instructing it to ignore the ruling and instead allocate the land to Logara Properties. The council reportedly refused to comply and continued with the lawful process of allocating the land to the four companies.

On September 4, the City of Harare prepared a finance report seeking approval for the land allocation. The report was signed by the town clerk on September 5, 2025, and later approved by a full council meeting in October last year. A public notice inviting objections was subsequently issued, but no objections were lodged.

Despite the completion of the process and preparations to issue lease agreements to the four companies, Garwe allegedly convened another meeting with Mafume, insisting that the land be handed over to Logara Properties. The minister reportedly claimed that Logara intended to invest US$70 million in the proposed greenfield development.

Around the same period, the four companies were approached by a consortium of businesspeople linked to the First Family, who proposed a joint development arrangement with a view to later buying out the companies. The companies agreed to the proposal.

Court papers allege that Garwe attempted to use political influence to seize the land, claiming that the directive had come from President Emmerson Mnangagwa. He is also accused of working with Logara Properties, which reportedly had no legal claim to the land until December last year, when the minister allegedly attempted to swap the prime Newlands land with a less valuable plot elsewhere.

Mafume, Mashayamombe and Muronda have denied ever dealing with Java, stating that she was not part of the transaction. Investigations by The Standard revealed that Java claimed to represent Aspire Elite Incorporated, the company linked to Mafume, a claim disputed by the accused.

Sources indicated that the disputed land is now controlled by the consortium linked to the First Family, placing Garwe in a precarious position. Mafume and Mashayamombe were reportedly released following intervention by the consortium, according to sources familiar with the matter.

The case has raised fresh questions about political interference in land administration, respect for court orders, and the use of anti-corruption institutions in resolving commercial disputes.