SCENES of anguish and desperation unfolded at Warwick Farm on the shores of Lake Chivero, in Zvimba district, after demolitions carried out under a High Court order left several families stranded yesterday.
Women and children sat beside shattered walls and scattered belongings as bulldozers tore through homes and structures, while residents scrambled to salvage furniture, roofing sheets and personal property from the rubble.
Many families said they had nowhere to go after the operation, which was executed with the involvement of the Sheriff of the High Court.
The demolitions stem from legal proceedings in the matter of Levison Zvirevo & Others v Warwickshire (Private) Limited under case number HCH 1206/25, in which the Sheriff was instructed to attach and remove movable property at the disputed farm.
Documents seen by this publication show that Chigwanda Legal Practitioners, acting for Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd, instructed the Sheriff to execute the court order and recover a judgment debt through the attachment of property.
A removal assessment form from the Sheriff’s office detailed logistical preparations for the operation, including trucks, casual labourers and locksmith services.
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However, the timing and manner of the demolitions have triggered outrage among residents, particularly because the operation comes ahead of a major court challenge over ownership of Warwick Farm.
The trustees for the Timebeing of Lakeshore 2000 Trust have taken Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd to court alongside several respondents, including Warwickshire boss Nicholas Nyandoro, former farm owner Timothy Michael Johnson, the Registrar of Deeds, the Lands minister, the Local Government minister, the Registrar of Companies and the Sheriff of the High Court.
Court documents filed by Chiturumani Law Chambers on behalf of the trust question the legality of Warwickshire’s claim to the property.
“According to the records of the Ministry of Lands, the land in question herein was acquired on September 1, 2000 under General Notice Number 418A of 2000,” the court papers read.
“The land was summarily delisted and further, on August 1, 2024, the land was reacquired by the State under General Notice Number 288 of 2014.
“Therefore, in terms of our records, this land is still classified as State land.”
The revelations have intensified allegations that the disputed property may have changed hands through questionable administrative and legal manoeuvres spanning more than two decades.
Residents, who spoke to this publication, accused authorities and individuals linked to the dispute of disregarding the humanitarian consequences of the demolitions.
“We do not know where to sleep tonight,” said a distraught resident while standing next to the remains of a demolished structure.
“Everything we worked for has been destroyed.”
Another resident condemned the operation as cruel and inhumane.
“They are treating people like animals,” he said.
“There are children, elderly people and pregnant women here.
“Families are suffering.”
Many residents claim they invested life savings in homes and small businesses at Warwick Farm, believing they had legitimate rights to occupy the land under Zimbabwe’s land reform programme.
Warwick Farm has been at the centre of a long-running dispute involving settlers who have occupied the land since 2000 and Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd, a company linked to businessman Nyandoro.
Documents obtained by NewsDay indicate that Warwick Farm was gazetted for compulsory acquisition by the government in 2000 and again in 2014 under General Notice 418A of 2000 and General Notice 288 of 2014, respectively.
The arrangement reportedly allowed Johnson, the former farm owner, to retain subdivision one measuring 367,5 hectares, while 462,5 hectares was allocated to beneficiaries of the land reform programme.
However, sources familiar with the dispute allege that behind the scenes, ownership structures involving Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd and related trusts were altered in ways that enabled the property to transition from white ownership to indigenous ownership while preserving commercial interests tied to the land.
“In his letter dated September 24, 2003, Mr Nyandoro admitted that the Johnson family agreed to surrender part of the farm for resettlement before he took over trusteeship of the ICF Trust,” a source close to the matter alleged.
The dispute reportedly escalated after Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd approached the High Court seeking to delist the farm from compulsory acquisition under cases HC10098/13 and HC5513.
Residents claim they were never cited or informed during the legal processes despite occupying the land for years.
“As residents, we were not cited or served and the Ministry of Lands did not disclose that settlers were already on the farm,” one of the residents, a war veteran, said.
Questions are also being raised over how Warwickshire allegedly secured default judgments and development permits despite the land’s contested status.
NewsDay established that Warwickshire (Pvt) Ltd later obtained authority to develop the land, with the Local Government ministry reportedly issuing a permit on June 29, 2020.
Sources alleged that corruption and political influence may have played a role throughout the process.
“What we have realised is that money has been changing hands throughout the process,” one source alleged. “Corrupt officials have been facilitating all this.”
Some community leaders and war veterans previously aligned with residents are also accused of abandoning the settlers and allegedly participating in land sales linked to private development interests.
Nearly 800 families are believed to have been affected by the dispute, with many now facing an uncertain future amid the ongoing legal battle over ownership of the land.