WAR Veterans farming at Springs Farm have pushed back against government-assisted attempts by top businessman Billy Rautenbach to grab their land.
Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, who in the past has been fingered in attempts to repossess land reserved for Parliamentarians, stands accused in the scandal that could likely displace hundreds.
According to documents gleaned by NewZimbabwe.com, his Ministry is seeking to reopen a case that could grant Rautenbach ownership of land the High Court already decided was not his.
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The war vets, under the Springs Farmers Association, have filed their intent to oppose the ministry's application, arguing that the government cannot relitigate a matter that was "final and conclusive" and that any further interference puts Zimbabwe's land-reform credibility at stake.
The dispute centres on a March 2025 offer letter issued by Local Government Minister Daniel Garwe, allocating 671 hectares at Springs Farm and 412 hectares at Stuhm to Marimba Residential Properties (Pvt) Ltd as "final compensation" for land in Aspindale Park, Lochinvar, and Salisbury Park that the company claims to have lost years ago.
However, the courts have already ruled on the matter.
In 2019, the High Court found that businessman Rautenbach and his associated companies had no valid title to the Aspindale property, affirming that the land had been lawfully acquired by the State and allocated to housing co-operatives under the National Housing Delivery Programme.
That ruling, described by the judge as "final and definitive", was never overturned.
Documents show that while Marimba claims to have lost about 180 hectares in Aspindale, the new offer compensates it with over 1,100 hectares of prime farmland, six times the size and far higher in market and agricultural value.
The paper trail surrounding Marimba Residential Properties raises more questions than answers.
The Registrar of Companies confirmed in 2018 that "Marimba Residential Properties and Marimba Industrial Properties are not registered companies in our database."
At the same time, the Registrar of Deeds admitted that the title deed purportedly linking Marimba to the Aspindale property is "missing from the record."
Despite those gaps, the company continues to feature in official correspondence and now, in the new compensation offer.
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In their newly filed opposition, the farmers accuse the government of attempting to rescind a ruling made on the merits, which the law does not allow.
They describe the government's filing as "a composite application that is procedurally and substantively defective," arguing that it merges three distinct processes: review, rescission, and interdict into a single motion, something the farmers' lawyers say is "jurisprudentially untenable."
