Fire erupts at Gilston Farm as war veterans accuse land barons of arson attack

Tensions have escalated at Gilston Farm after large sections of the property were destroyed by fire in what war veterans and collaborators occupying the land suspect was a deliberate arson attack linked to ongoing land disputes. The blaze caused panic among residents in Manyame District, with livestock fleeing burning grazing areas as flames swept through bushes and pastures.

Occupants of the farm allege that land barons are using groups of youths to forcibly remove beneficiaries who have legally occupied the land for years.

“Livestock have been displaced on the farm as the land barons set Gilston Farm on fire,” some of the affected veterans said. “We are really troubled by this continued harassment by the invaders and the land barons.”

The latest incident follows recent reports that machete-wielding youths allegedly invaded the property, chanting slogans and pegging land in what residents described as an attempted takeover.

The farm is home to 39 beneficiaries, many of whom are war veterans and collaborators from Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle. According to local war veterans, several of the occupants have disabilities sustained during the Second Chimurenga.

“They are initiating a brutal and barbaric attack on defenceless war veterans and families who have been official occupiers of the land since 2002,” one veteran said. “Many of the veterans living here have visible disabilities acquired during the liberation struggle.”

Previous allegations linked the land dispute to individuals associated with the ruling ZANU PF.

A syndicate allegedly involving Manyame Rural District Ward 10 councillor Eddius Sibanda and ZANU-PF district coordinating committee chairman Chotodya was previously accused of intimidating residents at Longlands and Gilston farms in nearby Seke District. The accused parties have not publicly responded to the allegations.

Residents believe the land is being targeted because of its proximity to the expanding Harare metropolitan area, where demand for land continues to rise. Land governance analyst Dr. Bekezela Gumbo said peri-urban farms have increasingly become hotspots for disputes involving politically connected land seekers.

“Land close to urban centres often attracts competing interests because of its high commercial value,” Gumbo said.

The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association has previously stated that Gilston Farm was allocated to injured ex-combatants partly because of its accessibility to medical facilities in Harare.

“It remains perplexing and distressing that war veterans with official land permits are subjected to such ruthless treatment 46 years after independence,” residents said.

Community members and war veterans are now calling for urgent intervention from law enforcement and government authorities to stop the violence and protect lawful beneficiaries.

A local resident who witnessed the latest invasion said,

“The youths arrived carrying machetes and immediately started pegging land even though families already live there.”

Police had not yet issued an official statement on the fire or the allegations of arson by the time of publication.

Gilston Farm fire