A long-running land dispute in Domboshava has intensified after the Johanne Masowe Apostolic Sect challenged attempts by the Katazo family to claim ownership of land the church says was allocated to it by the late Chief Chinamora.
According to documents seen by this publication, the matter was first heard before Headman Murape at Garimwe on 25 May 2025.
The church argued that it had been using the land for worship since 2002 and that the area had previously been communal grazing land.
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The dispute emerged after renewed claims by the Katazo family, despite the church maintaining that the land had long been set aside for religious use with traditional leaders' approval.
Documents show that a Chinese mining company had previously sought to carry out quarry operations on the same land, but the proposal was opposed by the church and then Goromonzi West MP Energy Mutodi.
At the time, there was no objection from the Katazo family, according to records.
The church says this supports its claim that the family only raised ownership concerns years later.
The late Chief Chinamora is said to have formally allocated the land to the church, a move that was not challenged at the time.
Around 2021, the church drilled boreholes on the site, again without objection from the Katazo family, according to submissions made during the hearing.
Village heads were present when the matter was brought before Headman Murape, who ruled that the land should remain under the church's control.
He reportedly advised the Katazo family that if dissatisfied, they could take the case to Chief Chinamora's court.
The family later appealed.
When the matter was heard before Chief Chinamora, the church says it was initially awarded 60 metres from the disputed boundary line.
However, church representatives later said they were surprised to receive a notification reducing that allocation to 10 metres.
The church then appealed to the Magistrates Court, citing dissatisfaction with the Community Court ruling.
In the proceedings, recorded as Case No. 123/25, members of the Katazo family acknowledged that church members had originally been given land to worship on.
Witness testimony also indicated that the church's occupation of the land was based on consent and longstanding community arrangements rather than unlawful encroachment.
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Court findings noted that physical features on the ground matched accounts given by village heads and elderly residents, suggesting recognised historical use of the site.
The church's western and eastern toilets were also identified as reliable reference points during a site inspection carried out on 4 September 2025.
The Johanne Masowe Apostolic Sect is one of Zimbabwe's largest indigenous churches, drawing thousands of worshippers to open-air gatherings.
Its annual shrine meeting is held on the disputed land and has previously been attended by senior government officials, some of whom have called for the site to be regularised.
Documents show the church began formal regularisation processes with the Goromonzi Rural District Council with supporting letters for regularisation from Village Head Shadreck Maruza, Headman Mungate, Ward 4 Councilor Tendai Mashingaidze and the late Chief Chinamora.
Village heads are now taking advantage of the rift and allocating land to unsuspecting people.
Evidence on the ground show that some people had started constructing structures but have been stopped.
A source privy to the situation told this publication that the family is encroaching the church land after selling their space.
"The Katazo family has sold almost 2 and half hectares of the land hence approaching church area outside their boundary. This is all greediness and they know for fact that the land has been occupied by the Church since 2002," said the source
The dispute remains unresolved pending the outcome of the church's court appeal.
