Allocated by a Chief, Delayed by a Council: A Zimbabwe Court Gives a Church’s Land Application 30 Days

• A Zimbabwe court ordered Umguza Rural District Council to decide a church’s land application within 30 days
• The Apostolic Faith Church says traditional leaders allocated it land at Ntabazinduna in 2017
• The church has paid annual renewal fees since then
• A local man set up a homestead on the stand while the council delayed

A court in Zimbabwe has ordered Umguza Rural District Council to make a written decision on a church’s land application within 30 days, The Chronicle reported on October 9, 2023, in a report by Mashudu Netsianda.

The Apostolic Faith Church, headquartered in Portland, Oregon, says traditional leaders allocated it land at Khaisa Line, Ward 6, Ntabazinduna, in 2017, and that it has paid annual renewal fees since then. It submitted a site plan in October 2022. The church says the council delayed approving its building plans without justification.

While the council delayed, Douglas Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna allegedly set up a homestead on the disputed stand. The court ordered that “the respondent be and hereby directed to make a written decision and provide reasons regarding the applicant’s application” within 30 days, and ordered the council to pay the legal costs.

Six years after the land was allocated, the church still had no approval to build.

In Jamaica, too, a church can buy or be given land and then wait years for subdivision approval, title or building permits. Delays invite encroachment. The Umguza case shows that churches can go to court to make authorities decide. Churches should keep records of every application and payment, and should occupy or fence land as soon as they lawfully can.

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