Online Reporter
Herald Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Defence Forces has clarified that Falcon Golf Course in Hatfield has been officially gazetted as a military cantonment area under Statutory Instrument 28 of 2026, effectively overriding recent proposals to convert the property into a residential suburb.
The clarification follows a public notice issued by the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works proposing a change of reservation for the Remaining Extent of Lot 227 Hatfield Township to allow the creation of 17 low-density residential stands.
However, official documents seen by The Herald show that the Ministry of Defence has already secured the property under Section 87 of the Defence Act through Statutory Instrument 28 of 2026, placing the land under the control of the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) as a protected defence cantonment area.
In correspondence dated April 29, 2026, addressed to the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Air Vice Marshal Biltim Chingono, Chief of Staff Operations, confirmed that the military had already initiated land-use and planning processes relating to the property.
“Following the Ministerial approval of the reclamation of Falcon Golf Course to the Air Force of Zimbabwe… the Ministry of Defence has processed gazetting of the same property as a Defence Cantonment area,” reads the letter.
The AFZ further clarified that it had not applied for a change of use for residential development and that the land was not earmarked for housing stands.
Instead, the military said the property would be utilised for purposes that would be disclosed at a later stage.
The reclamation process reportedly began in July 2025 when the Air Force approached the Ministry of Local Government seeking assistance in remapping the golf course and redrafting misplaced land tenure documents.
In October 2025, the Ministry of Local Government and Public Works approved the request, with Mr Mlindeli Sayi, writing on behalf of the Secretary for Local Government, confirming the ministry’s commitment to identifying “missing gaps” in the property documentation.
The AFZ planning team is expected to work with the Department of Roads and the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe as preparations continue for the transition.
Although the Ministry of Local Government had invited residents to submit objections to the proposed residential conversion within 30 days, the gazetting of the property as a cantonment area effectively places the land under the jurisdiction of the Defence Act, prioritising national security considerations over urban development proposals.
