Platform For Youth and Community Development - PYCD

The Platform for Youth and Community Development continues to strengthen community awareness and public understanding of Zimbabwe’s land governance systems amid ongoing land displacements and dispossessions affecting communities in Chipinge. The initiative also comes at a time when national discussions on “Sabhuku Land Deals” have intensified, with increasing concern over informal and illegal land transactions taking place in communal areas.

As part of its community empowerment programme, PYCD is partnering with researchers and academics from the University of Zimbabwe to unpack the historical context, legal framework and policy direction surrounding land administration in Zimbabwe. The engagement seeks to assist affected communities and the general public to better comprehend Zimbabwe’s land laws, customary leadership structures and citizens’ rights in relation to communal and state land.

The organisation is working closely with Dr Bernard Kusena, Advocate Debra Machena and Dr Eric Makombe in facilitating community dialogues, policy discussions and awareness campaigns across affected areas in Chipinge district.

The project will unfold in five key communities, namely Maunganidze featuring Birchenough Bridge, Munyokowere featuring Chipangayi, Mahachi featuring Checheche,Chinyamukwakwa featuring Chisumbanje and Kondo.

According to PYCD, the programme is designed to promote informed public dialogue on land governance, strengthen legal awareness among vulnerable communities and encourage policy literacy at grassroots level. The engagements are also expected to provide communities with an opportunity to interact directly with legal experts, researchers and development practitioners on issues relating to land tenure security, customary authority and rural development.

The project will also take advantage of the community radio movement such as Vemuganga FM with a listenership of over 100 000 people.
Fepa
Media Centre - Zimbabwe
MISA Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Zimbabwe Council of Churches
Zimbabwe Human Rights Association (ZimRights)
Plan International Zimbabwe
Zimcodd
Zimbabwe Association of Community Radio Stations
Green Institute
International Republican Institute (IRI)

Contradictoriness of Land Laws in Zimbabwe Responsible for the Mushrooming Sabhuku Land Deals

By Claris Madhuku

Sabhuku land deals refer to informal and illegal land transactions involving village heads (sabhukus) who allocate or sell communal or state land to home-seekers without legal authority. The practice has become widespread across Zimbabwe, particularly in peri-urban areas, but it remains largely misunderstood by the general public. While traditional leaders are often portrayed as the main perpetrators, the issue is far more complex and deeply connected to contradictions within Zimbabwe’s land administration system.

In May 2026, the Government of Zimbabwe, through the Office of the President and Cabinet, issued a directive ordering Provincial Secretaries for Provincial Affairs and Devolution to compile detailed information on Sabhuku land deals within their respective provinces. The directive reflects growing concern at national level over the expansion of illegal settlements, land barons, and unauthorized transactions involving communal and state land.

However, government intervention alone will not end the practice. Since 2020, the issue of Sabhuku land deals has remained under national spotlight, with senior government officials repeatedly warning against illegal land transactions. In March 2026, Obert Jiri, the Permanent Secretary for Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development, urged traditional leaders to stop unauthorized land allocations and work closely with Rural District Councils. In May 2026, Daniel Garwe, the Minister of Local Government and Public Works, reinforced the same position by warning that government would not protect or regularize properties acquired through Sabhuku land deals.

The campaign against illegal settlements has resulted in more than 5 000 arrests and over 1 000 convictions involving village heads, land barons, and illegal settlers. Despite these arrests and demolitions, the practice continues to spread, demonstrating that the problem cannot be resolved through law enforcement alone.

This article argues that Sabhuku land deals are a reflection of the contradictions embedded within Zimbabwe’s land laws. The overlapping provisions found in the Traditional Leaders Act, the Rural District Councils Act, the Communal Lands Act, the Land Acquisition Act, and the Urban Councils Act have created confusion regarding authority, administration, and control over land. This contradiction weakens traditional leadership structures and exposes village heads to manipulation by politically connected land barons who often remain protected and insulated from prosecution.

The lack of clarity on who has the authority to allocate land, issue offer letters, or regularize settlements has created opportunities for syndicates to exploit desperate home-seekers. In many peri-urban communities, the demand for land has grown beyond the capacity of formal land allocation systems. As a result, vulnerable citizens turn to traditional leaders because they are accessible and trusted within local communities.

Traditional leaders, however, do not possess legal authority to sell communal land. Their role under the Traditional Leaders Act is to allocate and administer communal land according to customary norms and family traditions. Yet because of poverty, political pressure, weak institutional coordination, and interference by powerful actors, many village heads have become entangled in illegal land transactions that ultimately benefit land barons more than local communities.

The contradiction becomes even more evident where communal land is converted into urban settlements, growth points, or agricultural projects without proper consultation and coordination between Rural District Councils, traditional leadership, and central government authorities. This institutional confusion creates loopholes that are abused by politically connected individuals who use traditional leaders as fronts in illegal land deals.

The current crackdown and demolition campaigns, while necessary in addressing lawlessness, appear inconsistent and reactive rather than preventive and policy-driven. Arresting village heads without addressing the structural contradictions within Zimbabwe’s land laws will not permanently solve the problem.

As a way forward, Zimbabwe needs comprehensive land law harmonisation that clearly defines the powers and responsibilities of traditional leaders, Rural District Councils, and central government institutions. There is also urgent need for awareness campaigns and training programmes targeted at traditional leaders, councils, and communities so that citizens understand lawful land allocation procedures and the dangers associated with illegal settlements.

The role of traditional leadership in communal land administration must still be preserved because customary systems remain important in protecting community identity and facilitating intergenerational land transfer. However, this role should operate within a transparent and coordinated legal framework that prevents abuse by land barons and politically connected syndicates.

To effectively curb Sabhuku land deals, Zimbabwe must move beyond arrests and demolitions and focus on resolving the contradictions within its land laws while strengthening institutional accountability, public awareness, and coordinated land governance systems
Fepa
MISA Zimbabwe
Media Centre - Zimbabwe
International Republican Institute (IRI)
Plan International Zimbabwe
Zimcodd
Chipinge Town Council
Green Institute
Alliance of Community Based Organisations - ACBOs

Women's Day Commemorations for Manicaland Province

ZLHR and PYCD Engage Community Radio to Strengthen Public Participation in Chipinge

The Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR), working in close collaboration with the Platform for Youth and Community Development (PYCD), has intensified efforts to promote public participation and legal awareness in Chipinge through community radio engagement initiatives. The partnership reflects a shared commitment to empowering communities with information and knowledge that enables citizens to actively engage in public policy and legislative processes.

The two organisations believe that informed communities are better positioned to influence governance and development outcomes that directly affect their lives. As part of this initiative, ZLHR and PYCD have identified community radio stations as strategic and accessible platforms capable of amplifying civic education, legal literacy, and inclusive dialogue at grassroots level. Particular attention has been directed towards discussions around the proposed Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3 (CAB 3), which has generated significant public interest across the country.

Through an interactive radio dialogue series hosted on Vemuganga Community Radio, ZLHR is represented by its award-winning Projects Lawyer Tatenda Sigauke, while PYCD is represented by Community Champion Claris Madhuku. The programme was designed to reach approximately 20,000 listeners per episode, but the impact has already exceeded expectations, with the first dialogue series attracting more than 50,000 listeners through live broadcasts and social media engagement.

During the dialogue session held on 13 May 2026, discussions focused on Section 141 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which provides for public participation as a constitutionally guaranteed right in legislative and policy-making processes. The programme generated extensive listener feedback and highlighted several barriers that continue to weaken meaningful citizen participation. These include disruptions during public hearings, limited access to consultation venues, and allegations of intimidation targeting participants during national consultations.

The dialogue further reflected on experiences witnessed during consultations around the Private Voluntary Organisations (PVO) Amendment Bill, now enacted into law, as well as the ongoing engagements on Constitutional Amendment Bill No. 3. In Chipinge, participants expressed concern that public hearings held at Rimbi MDA Hall were inaccessible to many citizens from distant communities such as Mahenye and Musirizwi, thereby limiting broader community representation.

ZLHR and PYCD acknowledged the growing importance of community radios as trusted platforms that bridge information gaps between policymakers and ordinary citizens. Community radio continues to emerge as a powerful force for civic engagement by providing safe, inclusive, and culturally relevant spaces where communities can freely express their concerns, ask questions, and contribute to national conversations. Unlike conventional communication channels that often exclude rural populations, community radio reaches diverse audiences across age groups, literacy levels, and digital access divides.

As a result of the growing public response, the dialogue resolved to expand civic education and public participation programmes through community radio platforms such as Vemuganga Community Radio. The station currently reaches at least 60,000 listeners during live broadcasts and up to 100,000 through recorded rebroadcasts and digital sharing. Its overall audience, including social media engagement on Facebook, YouTube, and WhatsApp platforms, is estimated to exceed 200,000 people.

The longstanding partnership between ZLHR and PYCD, which spans over 15 years, continues to demonstrate tangible impact within communities in Chipinge. Through this collaboration, many vulnerable families have accessed free legal services, particularly in cases involving land displacements and dispossessions. The partnership has also strengthened community confidence and legal awareness, especially among women, who are increasingly participating in policy discussions and articulating their concerns during meetings with government officials, policymakers, and development partners.

The collaboration between ZLHR, PYCD, and community radio platforms represents an evolving model of participatory development where access to information, legal education, and open dialogue are being used as tools to strengthen democracy, accountability, and inclusive governance at community level.
Fepa
Media Centre - Zimbabwe
Plan International Zimbabwe
Alliance of Community Based Organisations - ACBOs
MISA Zimbabwe
Zimcodd

*When Cold Hits the Classroom: Winter, Poverty, and Perseverance in Rural Zimbabwe*

By Artwell Chingwara Sithole

12 May, all roads lead to schools.

Second term begins, and with it comes the familiar pressure of opening day. Gates swing open and parents arrive with envelopes, payment slips, and stories. Some pay in full. Others come for installments. Many, despite the ministry’s circular urging fees to be settled during the holidays, arrive on the first morning to negotiate payment plans. That’s the hustle of opening day — part accounting, part pleading, all of it done under the weight of a new term.

This term is winter. And winter is a different kind of teacher.

It’s hectic just getting kids out of bed before sunrise. The cold bites through blankets and makes every minute under them feel like a small rebellion. I remember it well.

In the 1990s at Rimbi Primary, second term had its own reputation. It wasn’t just the cold. It was the cleanliness inspection. The teacher would run a finger along your collar and neck, and if you came up with _chikoko_ — that dark ring of dirt — you were done. Shame didn’t wash off as easily as the grime. Some kids were so mortified they’d rather miss school than face the class with a stained neck.

Winter didn’t forgive the weak-willed. Kids without determined parents at home stayed away. The cold gave them an excuse. And for those who wet the bed at night, winter was brutal. While the rest of us did a quick half-body wash and finished the rest after school when the sun was out, they had to strip and face full-body cold water before class. You learned quickly why mothers nagged about going to the toilet before bed.

Poverty and weather compound each other here. The ministry says kids must come to school in warm clothes, and you see the compromise everywhere. Schools give leeway — any jersey, any sweater, as long as it keeps the shivers off. In winter, uniform gives way to survival.

At Rimbi High in the early 2000s, the cold had a geography. During assembly, the breeze would roll down from Mwangazi through the Murembwe valley and hit us standing to attention. Singing the national anthem while your teeth chattered felt like standing too close to a fire you couldn’t feel.

But winter also taught resourcefulness. Between lessons, when the sun broke through, we’d scatter to the warmest wall and _kugota mushana_ — soak up the sun like lizards. The vernacular name says it all. It was popular, and it was risky. If Mr Ndangana or Mr Dhliwayo caught you, you’d regret ever thinking ten minutes of heat was worth it. Those two had eyes everywhere, and a free period spent in the sun could turn into a very paid-for detention.

I still remember the hand clap Mr Muchezana gave me. May his soul rest. It was one of a kind — sharp, sudden, unforgettable. The kind of discipline that made you stand straighter for the rest of the day.

Opening day is always a scramble. Fees, jerseys, early mornings, inspections. But for those of us who grew up in Rimbi, second term was never just about lessons. It was about enduring the cold, outsmarting _chikoko_, and finding ten minutes of sun before the next bell.

Winter made us tough. And tomorrow, it starts again.

PYCD Introduces Paralegal Training to Strengthen Community Response to Land Displacements and Dispossessions in Chipinge

The Platform for Youth and Community Development (PYCD) has intensified its long-standing commitment to defending vulnerable communities in Chipinge District through the introduction of a community-based paralegal training programme aimed at strengthening legal awareness and grassroots advocacy on land rights and constitutional protections.

As a demand-driven and solution-focused social justice movement, PYCD continues to respond directly to the lived realities and everyday challenges confronting rural communities. Since its establishment in 2008, the organisation has remained consistent in championing community rights, social accountability, and inclusive development through evidence-based interventions that place affected communities at the centre of decision-making processes.

Following more than a decade of programming dedicated to supporting communities facing land displacements and dispossessions, PYCD has now introduced paralegal training as a sustainable and empowering intervention designed to equip communities with practical legal knowledge and advocacy skills. The initiative seeks to strengthen the capacity of local leaders and affected villagers to better understand constitutional rights, land governance systems, and available legal remedies in cases involving evictions and property disputes.

The programme, which commenced in April 2026 and will run until December 2026, is being implemented in partnership with researchers and lecturers from the University of Zimbabwe. The initiative is supported by Gerda Henkel Stiftung and forms part of a broader study examining land dispossession trends in Zimbabwe, with particular focus on constitutional protections provided under Sections 71(3) and 74 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, as well as legal frameworks governing property rights and protections against unlawful evictions.

From 13 to 17 April 2026, the project successfully trained 30 community leaders drawn from Chinyamukwakwa, Mahachi, Kondo, Munyokowere, and Maunganidze. The training sessions provided participants with foundational legal literacy on land rights, constitutional protections, court procedures, and mechanisms available for resolving land-related disputes.
Community leaders were also equipped with practical advocacy and mobilisation skills to enable them to engage effectively with institutions and local support structures, including community-based organisations such as PYCD. The training further emphasised that land disputes extend beyond legal dimensions and are deeply connected to environmental, political, economic, and social justice concerns affecting the sustainability of rural livelihoods.

During the engagement sessions, participating communities commended PYCD for its grounded and community-centred approach to development programming. Villagers further appealed to the organisation and its partners to broaden interventions toward emerging social challenges affecting the district, including school dropouts, child marriages, stock theft, organised crime, and the growing scourge of drug and substance abuse among young people.

Over the years, PYCD has distinguished itself as a credible and responsive grassroots institution committed to addressing the structural and social barriers that undermine community development. Through sustained engagement, research-informed advocacy, and community empowerment initiatives, the organisation continues to strengthen the voices of marginalised communities while promoting justice, dignity, and sustainable development in Chipinge District and beyond.

PYCD’s engagement with Maunganidze village on the 16th of April 2026 confirms that the organisation remains a seasoned and genuinely community-based institution that is deeply rooted in the day-to-day struggles of marginalized communities since its establishment in 2008. The engagement in Ward 1 of Chipinge RDC demonstrated PYCD’s continued commitment to defending community rights, promoting social justice and strengthening grassroots participation in development processes affecting local people.

The meeting focused on unresolved disputes relating to displacement, dispossession and compensation issues surrounding communal land and the delayed development of Maunganidze Growth Point. Community members also raised concern over the prioritisation of residential stands ahead of an irrigation scheme that offers sustainable livelihoods to villagers. Through the engagement, PYCD capacitated local leaders on constitutional protections, consultation processes and community rights in development planning.

The discussions further addressed emerging social challenges affecting the area, including rising cases of child marriages, teen pregnancies, increasing crime and arbitrary arrests allegedly associated with some police officers. By engaging directly with affected villagers and community leaders, PYCD continues to demonstrate that it is socially embedded, community-driven and responsive to the lived realities of the people who have shaped the organisation’s identity over the years.

PYCD is working closely with a team of Researchers and Trainers who are academics from the University of Zimbabwe ,Dr Eric Makombe,Advocate B.Kusena and Advocate Debra Machena

Fepa
Media Centre - Zimbabwe
MISA Zimbabwe
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights
Zimbabwe Council of Churches
Zimcodd
Green Institute
Alliance of Community Based Organisations - ACBOs
Vemuganga Community Radio
International Republican Institute (IRI)