3,045 Square Metres in Mbare: Zimbabwe’s High Court Calls a Breakaway Group’s Property Defence “Vexatious”

• Zimbabwe’s High Court ruled for the Apostolic Faith Mission in a dispute over a church property in Mbare, Harare
• The 3,045-square-metre stand is registered to the AFM’s trustees
• The judge rejected the rival group’s arguments and awarded costs on the higher scale
• The court said the breakaway group’s resistance was vexatious

Zimbabwe’s High Court has granted summary judgment to the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe (AFM) in a dispute over church property in Mbare, Harare, Nehanda Radio reported on March 3, 2026, in a report by Nyashadzashe Ndoro.

The property is Stand 12921 Salisbury Township Lands, also known as 12921 Chaminuka Street, and measures 3,045 square metres. It is registered to the Trustees for the Time Being of the Apostolic Faith Mission in Zimbabwe. The respondents, a group calling itself the Apostolic Faith Mission of Zimbabwe, and six others argued about standing and relied on a separate notarial trust deed.

Justice Joel Mambara rejected those defences. “The attempt to separate the applicant from AFM in Zimbabwe is artificial and untenable. This court and the Supreme Court have pronounced, in clear terms, on who constitutes AFM in Zimbabwe and on the ownership of its properties,” he said. He added: “The continued resistance to the applicant’s claim is vexatious and warrants censure. Costs on the higher scale are justified to mark the court’s displeasure.”

Registration in the trustees’ names decided the case.

When churches split in Jamaica, the question of who owns the buildings often turns on how the title is registered and what the trust deed says. The Mbare case shows the strength of a title registered to a denomination’s trustees. Congregations should make sure their property is registered to the proper trustees and that trustee appointments are kept up to date.

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