HARARE – A legal battle has erupted over the control of Harare’s iconic Falcon Golf Club. The community-owned, non-profit social club—a fixture of the Hatfield suburb for over 55 years—has launched an urgent High Court application accusing the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ) of an unlawful, forced takeover of its historic facility.
The urgent chamber application, filed under case number HCH4662/26, lists the Minister of Defence, the Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe, and the AFZ as respondents. At the heart of the filing is a request for a spoliation order—a legal directive compelling the military to restore the club’s “peaceful and undisturbed possession” of the property and its infrastructure.
The club’s claim to the land traces back to a 99-year lease agreement signed on June 30, 1971, with the former Hatfield Town Council. Set to expire in June 2070, the agreement required the club to construct and manage a social clubhouse and golf course. Prominent businessman and trustee Alex Elias Mashamhanda, who deposed the founding affidavit, noted that the club’s user-funded improvements on the site are valued at more than US$2 million.
According to court filings, tension over the property began escalating late last year when municipal and military authorities eyed the land for different purposes. While the City of Harare initially sought to subdivide the stand for residential housing, the Ministry of Defence gazetted Statutory Instrument 210 of 2025, declaring the 75.2-hectare site a military cantonment.
The situation turned critical in early September when senior military officers allegedly entered the premises without permission, removed fixtures, and began repainting the clubhouse in AFZ colors. The takeover reached a climax on September 12, when the military hosted the Zimbabwe Inter-Service Golf Team Championship on the grounds. During the event, AFZ Commander Air Marshal Jacob John Nzvede unveiled a commemorative plaque officially opening the site as the “Airforce Falcon Golf Club,” while long-standing club members were denied entry.
Represented by Mapfidza & Rutsito Legal Practitioners, Falcon Golf Club contends that a cantonment declaration is not an eviction order and does not give military personnel the legal authority to seize property without due process. The High Court has yet to rule on the urgent application, while the respondents have not yet filed their opposing papers
