Lawyer Chipo Maposa Mahlangu Dragged Into Kadoma State Land Sale Scandal

HARARE – Legal practitioner Chipo Maposa Mahlangu has been drawn into a High Court dispute involving allegations that a housing cooperative is illegally selling residential stands on State land in Mupamombe, Ingezi, Kadoma.

Mahlangu has been cited as the second respondent in an urgent court application filed by Citizens for Land Justice Zimbabwe, which is seeking to stop Mupamombe Housing Cooperative Society Limited and its alleged associates from allocating and selling stands on the disputed land.

The case was brought before Justice Nyaradzo Priscilla Munangati-Manongwa at the Harare High Court on Friday, where the parties agreed on directions for filing court papers.

According to the applicant’s founding affidavit, Mahlangu and several other respondents allegedly came together in 2019 to form an association that later led to the registration of Mupamombe Housing Cooperative Society Limited.

The applicant claims the move was intended to create the impression that the cooperative had been officially allocated the Mupamombe land.

It further alleges that the cooperative has been using a layout plan to convince prospective home seekers that it has legal authority over the land, resulting in members of the public allegedly buying stands without proper guarantees.

Citizens for Land Justice Zimbabwe argues that the cooperative has no official Government documentation, such as an offer letter or permit, proving that the land was allocated to it.

The applicant also refers to an earlier High Court ruling under case number R-HCCC 290/26, which it says established that the cooperative had never been allocated the disputed land.

However, the cooperative is accused of continuing to market and sell stands while relying on other court orders, including HCH 2237/24 and R-HCH 2237/24, which allegedly give prospective buyers the impression that it has authority to administer the land.

The application names several other respondents, including Machidha Francis, Shadreck Nyoni, Mahaye Elimon, Wellington Chawatama, Abram Chikwani, Memory Mudadisi, Joyance Magonyo and Indifa Investments (Pvt) Ltd.

The Law Society of Zimbabwe, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works and the Director of Housing for the City of Kadoma have also been cited.

The applicant wants the court to stop the alleged land transactions, arguing that unsuspecting buyers risk losing their money if the Government eventually moves to demolish structures erected on land that was not legally allocated.

On Friday, the court directed the first and second respondents to file their opposing papers by 9am on November 9, 2026. The applicant was given until 4pm on November 10, 2026, to submit an answering affidavit, if necessary.

The matter was postponed to November 11, 2026, at noon for hearing.

Mahlangu, who has been cited in her personal capacity, is yet to file her opposing papers.

Citizens for Land Justice Zimbabwe says its work involves protecting home seekers from alleged land barons who establish housing cooperatives using names linked to the areas they seek to acquire before marketing stands to unsuspecting buyers.

The allegations are contained in court papers and have not yet been determined by the court.