PPC’s US$30m Land Deal Thrown Into Turmoil by Housing Cooperative Claim

A multimillion-dollar land transaction involving cement giant PPC Zimbabwe has been thrown into turmoil after a housing cooperative launched a High Court battle claiming rightful ownership of the same property.

In a notice to shareholders last week, PPC Ltd announced it had sealed a US$30 million deal to dispose of 418 hectares of land at Arlington Estate, Harare to a private property developer.

The company said it had regained title deeds in December 2024 after years of wrangling with government over compulsory acquisition and saw no commercial value in holding on to the land which contains no limestone deposits essential for cement production.

But in a dramatic twist, Nyikavanhu Housing Cooperative filed a summons in the High Court of Zimbabwe insisting it is the lawful landholder of Subdivision E of the Arlington Estate measuring 530 hectares based on an offer letter granted by the Ministry of Local Government in 2006.

The cooperative alleges a coordinated attempt by senior government officials and private firms including PPC Zimbabwe and Clean Planet Resources to sideline its claim.

In court papers, Nyikavanhu accuses the defendants of fraudulently manufacturing title deeds and parcelling out land that had already been allocated to its members nearly two decades ago.

“The offer letter is still extant and has never been withdrawn. It is therefore illegal for defendants to carve out and sell land lawfully allocated to the plaintiff,” the declaration states.

While PPC assured investors that all approvals were secured for the US$30 million sale, the cooperative insists previous court orders and ministerial actions recognising its claim have been ignored.