Self-imposed headman turns land baron, sells 70% of village

📅 Published: August 21, 2025

Curated by AllZimNews.com

It is illegal for individuals to sell communal land.

Tichana allegedly colluded with other family members and Ian Manyere, the ward councillor and chairperson of the Manyame Rural District Council, in these illicit deals.

Tichana’s alleged involvement in the illegal land sales emerged after villagers  approached our news crew following the publication of other controversial land deals in rural Seke involving the Manyame Rural District Council and a ruling Zanu PF lawmaker, Innocent Benza.

This investigationwas published with support from Information for Development Trust (IDT), a non-profit media outfit promoting investigative journalism.

The land deals stem from a leadership vacuum after the legitimate headman, Phenias Tichana, temporarily relocated to South Africa in 2012, where he was employed.

Takesure reportedly took advantage of Phenias’s absence and imposed himself as headman with the help of other family members.

Takesure is Phenias’s uncle.

When Phenias returned to the country in 2023, he discovered that external settlers had snatched up 70 percent of the village land after Takesure sold it to them illegally.

Phenias confronted Takesure over the illegal land sales.

Tension erupted between the two Tichanas, forcing Chief Seke to call an emergency meeting to address illegal land sales on 14 January this year that this news crew attended.

During this meeting, Chief Seke bemoaned the unauthorised sale of communal land in the village whose jurisdiction had been handed over to Phenias by the late Chifise Tichana.

The chief urged villagers to report the illegal land deals to relevant authorities and declared Phenias the rightful headman. 🔗

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