Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
LOGARA Properties has given The Standard newspaper a 48-hour ultimatum to retract an article published on January 25, 2026, which alleges impropriety in its acquisition of a piece of land in Harare, saying the report was misleading, inaccurate and has caused reputational harm.
The article also implicated Minister of Local Government and Public Works, Daniel Garwe, alleging that he was involved in a land deal that led to the arrest of City of Harare officials and a former legislator a fort-night ago.
Logara Properties, through its lawyer, Mawere-Sibanda Commercial Lawyers, has since demanded retraction and threatened to sue the newspaper in the event that it fails to issue a formal apology.
It claimed that the article conveyed an incorrect impression on its business conduct.
The article was titled “Garwe’s Hand in Harare Land Scandal Exposed”.
Minister Garwe, through his lawyers, last week, wrote to the Standard newspaper demanding a retraction of the article.
He described the contents of the article as false, saying it was deliberately aimed at denting his good reputation and standing.
Minister Garwe threatened to sue the publication in the event that it fails to retract and apologise.
Logara Properties said the article contained material inaccuracies and misleading assertions that do not reflect the factual and legal position, which resulted in unwarranted reputational harm.
The firm claimed that it has been the rightful owner of piece of land in question-Stand 19611 Newlands- for nearly a decade.
“For clarity, we are advised that the correct position is as follows:
“Our client has been the lawful owner of Stand 19611 in Newlands since 2009, when it acquired title for development purposes. In 2019, our client applied to the City of Harare to acquire an adjacent piece of land to secure access and visibility to the above site.
“The application was made lawfully, transparently and in strict accordance with established municipal procedures. It is therefore untrue and misleading to state that our client ‘had no legal claim to the land until December last year’ given that it has been pursuing its application for over six years.”
“Over this period of six years, our client engaged openly and consistently with the City of Harare following due process to progress its application and complying fully with all procedural requirements and providing documentation as requested.”
Logara Properties claimed that it has never acted unlawfully, improperly or in violation of any directive or court order.
It attributed the administrative changes within the City of Harare to delays in the finalisation of the matter, resulting in the matter being referred to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works.
“However, procedural requirements and administrative expectations changed on several occasions, resulting in repeated additional requests and prolonged delays and preventing the matter from being finalised.”
“Due to the lack of clarity on process and progress over the years, our client reasonably exercised its right to escalate the matter to the Minister of Local Government and Public Works last year, who has statutory oversight over local authorities. The Minister reviewed the appeal and gave directives on how the issue should be resolved.”
“In light of the above, we advise that the article fails to meet the standards of accuracy, fairness and responsible reporting that are expected of reputable media outlets.
“Your publication intimates that our client is involved in an alleged corrupt and unprocedural activity to acquire the land through the Minister and/or alleged political influence.
“This is untrue, unfair, defamatory, unprofessional and dishonourable.”
Peter Tanyanyiwa