Land ownership row drags on

Post Reporter
THE ownership row of the 1 115-hectare Zimati Kop Farm pitting Rusape Town Council against Mr Norman Sachikonye is dragging on, with the council issuing a warning to potential home seekers not to be fooled into buying residential stands from the businessman prior to the settlement of the matter.

RTC is refusing to bow to pressure from some officials from the Ministry of Local Government who are supporting Mr Sachikonye’s bid to turn the farm, earmarked by the local for its urban expansion, into a plush suburb.

The local authority was commandeered into connecting 132 stands that Mr Sachikonye has already sold to home seekers.

RTC secretary, Mr Joshua Maligwa on Wednesdaym said council was pursuing ways to repossess Zimati Kop and Rocking Stone Farm.

“We are seized with the matter and taking necessary steps to recover the two farms. The issue is being handled by the provincial lands committee and once a resolution is made it becomes a completely different scenario. “Only 14 stands had water connected to them out of the 132 that had been sold. We were made to connect the stands by the ministry on the understanding that water was a basic human entitlement. The public should not read into the gesture as a sign that council has approved the land sales. No. We are still contesting his entitlement to that land. It is a lie that the impasse has been resolved. It is a gimmick they are employing to dupe people into buying the stands,” said Mr Maligwa.

Mr Maligwa said Mr Sachikonye was initially working with certain individuals from their parent ministry who were trying to bully the local authority into submitting to the whims of Mr Sachikonye.

“We are resisting the pressure from those guys. Home seekers should not rush into buying those stands. Wait until the matter is resolved. As things stand, there is no accord between Rusape Town Council and Mr Sachokonye,” said Mr Maligwa.

Mr Sachikonye’s ownership of Zimati Kop has been under strife for the past three years.

The matter reached the boiling point in 2012 when thousands of home seekers invaded the farm after moves by Mr Sachikonye to turn the 1 115 hectare land into a plush suburb.

The developments at the farm are being spearheaded by Diagonal Investments (Pvt) Ltd.

Sources close to the goings on claimed that a ministerial signature on the certificate of no present interest in Mr Sachikonye’s possession might have been forged.

Mr Sachikonnye claimed to have bought the farm from Mr Ziehl for Z$200 in 1999. He was issued with a certificate of no present interest in 2010.

The title deeds were issued on August 5, 2010. Mr Sachikonye has supporting documents from the ministries of Lands and Rural development as well as Local Government to carry out proposed developments.

Zimati Kop is larger than the current size of Rusape, and about 4 700 stands, measuring 6, 25 acres have been pegged. Each stands costs $24 000, spread over 36 months, which the residents argue was beyond their reach.

The proposed Ridgemont Park has provision for three primary schools, one secondary school, a hotel, shallets, a truck inn, a vocational training centre and heavy and light industries.

The land is valued at $3 billion.