President Mnangagwa has finally released the Uchena Commission report on State land sales after a High Court ruling mandated transparency.
PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa has bowed to a court order and released a controversial State land report, ending months of legal pressure over constitutional violations.. The order followed protracted litigation initiated by former legislator Allan Markham, who challenged Mnangagwa’s failure to publish the Justice Tendai Uchena Commission of Inquiry report into the sale of State land in urban areas across Zimbabwe’s 10 provinces since 2005.. The 2019 the Uchena Commission of Inquiry into the allocation and
sale of State land in and around urban areas reportedly uncovered widespread fraud and illegal acquisition of land worth an estimated US$3 billion involving politically exposed individuals.. In a ruling delivered in December last year, the High Court ordered the President to make the report public, finding that its concealment violated the constitutional right of access to information.. The court directed that the report be released within 90 days.. However, a General Notice published in
the Government Gazette by the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet confirmed that Mnangagwa has directed the publication of the report, although this comes after the court-imposed deadline had lapsed.. This marks only the second time in decades that a commission of inquiry report has been formally released.. The Motlanthe Commission, which investigated the August 1, 2018, post-election violence, was released, but its recommendations are yet to be implemented nearly eight years later.. Other
reports, including the Justice Maphios Cheda Commission of Inquiry, remain unpublished nearly a year after submission to the President, while historical examples such as the Dumbutshena and Chihambakwe commissions highlight a pattern of delayed disclosure.. The Chihambakwe Commission of Inquiry was a 1983-1984 government-appointed body led by Simplisius Chihambakwe to investigate Gukurahundi atrocities in Matabeleland, Zimbabwe.. It documented widespread killings by the 5 Brigade, but its report was never made public, fuelling speculation and leaving
the findings, including an estimated 1 500 deaths, unaddressed for decades.. Keep Reading NoViolet Bulawayo’s new novel is an instant Zimbabwean classic Jah Prayzah, Zanu PF rekindles ‘lost love’ Bank workers appeal to Ncube for tax relief Indosakusa marks 21-year anniversary milestone The 1981 Dumbutshena Commission of Inquiry, led by Chief Justice Enoch Dumbutshena, investigated violent clashes between ZANLA and ZIPRA ex-combatants at Entumbane and other demobilisation camps in Zimbabwe (November 1980-March 1981).. Though it
submitted its findings to then Prime Minister Robert Mugabe in 1981, the government refused to release the report.. A High Court ruling on December 24, 2025, held that withholding the Uchena report violated constitutional rights to access information and contradicted principles of good governance.. Delivering judgment, Justice Maxwell Takuva ruled that Mnangagwa’s failure to publish the report was inconsistent with constitutional values.. “President Mnangagwa’s failure to publicise the report on the commission of inquiry into
the matter of sale of State Land in and around urban areas since 2005 is not consistent with the values of the nation as enshrined in section 3(2) (g) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” Justice Takuva ruled.. Markham, through his lawyer Alec Muchadehama, argued that the public has a right to access the findings of the commission and that withholding the report violated constitutional provisions.. The application was opposed by Mnangagwa and Attorney-General Virginia Mabhiza,
who argued that Markham had misinterpreted the Constitution and lacked legal standing to bring the case.. They contended that he failed to demonstrate violation of section 62 of the Constitution and was, therefore, non-suited to approach the court under section 85(d).. However, the court rejected the arguments, affirming that access to information is a constitutional right.. “Every Zimbabwean citizen or permanent resident, including juristic persons and the Zimbabwean media, has the right of access to
any information held by the State or by any institution or agency of government at every level, insofar as the information is required in the interests of public accountability.. “This right is one of the pillars of constitutional democracy and good governance, intended to promote transparency and accountability in the conduct of public affairs.. It ensures that the State, as a custodian of public power and resources, remains answerable to the citizens,” Justice Takuva ruled..
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