HARARE – The Government has directed that the findings of the Justice Tendai Uchena-led Commission of Inquiry into the sale of State land in urban areas be formally published and made publicly accessible, according to an official notice released in the Government Gazette.
The directive, according to State Media, was issued through General Notice 608 of 2026, signed by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet, Dr Martin Rushwaya, on behalf of President Mnangagwa.
The notice states that the President, acting in terms of Section 62 of the Constitution, has ordered the publication of the Commission’s report, which investigated the sale and allocation of State land in and around urban areas across all ten provinces since 2005.
The inquiry, chaired by Justice Tendai Uchena, was established in 2018 through Statutory Instrument 11 of 2018, which amended Statutory Instrument 102 of 2017.
It was mandated to investigate widespread reports of illegal land sales, particularly the emergence of unregulated settlements linked to so-called land barons operating in various urban centres.
The Commission examined State land in Harare and Bulawayo metropolitan provinces, as well as Mashonaland East, West and Central, Midlands, Manicaland, Masvingo, Matabeleland North and Matabeleland South.
Its terms of reference included identifying all State land allocated for urban development since 2005 under the then Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, and determining its current status in terms of ownership, occupation and development.
The Commission was also tasked with investigating the processes through which land was acquired and allocated to current occupants, and identifying individuals and entities involved in the transactions.
It was empowered to summon witnesses, record testimony, conduct site visits, and gather documentary and oral evidence as part of its investigations. It also had authority to examine any additional matters deemed relevant to its inquiry.
According to its mandate, the Commission was required to compile comprehensive findings and recommendations for submission to the President in writing.
The publication of the report is expected to shed further light on long-standing concerns over illegal land allocation, urban planning irregularities, and governance failures that contributed to the proliferation of informal settlements in major cities and towns across the country.
