FALCON Golf Club has approached the High Court seeking an urgent order to restore its possession of the club premises following an alleged takeover by the Air Force of Zimbabwe.

The application, filed under case number HCH4662/26, names the Minister of Defence, the Commander of the Air Force of Zimbabwe and the Air Force of Zimbabwe as respondents. Falcon Golf Club is seeking what it describes as spoliatory relief, arguing that it was deprived of possession of its clubhouse, golf course, employee houses and other amenities without a court order.

According to the founding affidavit by trustee Alex Mashamhanda, Falcon Golf Club was established as a community-owned golfing facility and operates through an executive committee and trustees.

The papers state that the then City of Salisbury, now the City of Harare, entered into a lease agreement with the club on June 30, 1971, covering several stands in Hatfield.

The club says the lease remains valid until June 29, 2070 and required it to establish a golf course, clubhouse and other related amenities on the leased land.

Mashamhanda said the club subsequently developed the property, including constructing the golf course and various buildings and amenities. He estimated the value of the improvements at more than US$2 million, although he said the club had begun engaging estate valuers to determine their actual value.

The dispute intensified following the gazetting of Statutory Instrument 210 of 2025, which the applicant says placed Falcon Golf Club premises under the control of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces.

The papers state that SI 210 of 2025 placed stand number Rem 227, Hatfield Township, under cantonment, while SI 28 of 2026 subsequently amended the earlier instrument by replacing certain coordinates relating to the cantonment areas.

Falcon argues that neither the cantonment nor the subsequent amendment terminated its lease with the City of Harare and that the notices did not constitute a court order authorising its eviction.

The application further states that on May 14, 2026, the City of Harare's Chief Director of Spatial Planning and Development issued a notice proposing to change the use of Rem 227 Hatfield Township from a golf course to residential property.

The Air Force subsequently responded through a public notice stating that the remaining extent of Lot 227 Hatfield Township had always been owned by the Air Force of Zimbabwe, according to the court papers.

The Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing later wrote to the Acting Director of Urban Planning Services requesting the withdrawal of the planning notice.

The club also refers to an October 2025 letter from the City of Harare alleging that Falcon Golf Club had encroached onto Rem 227, which the city said was being subdivided for residential purposes.

Falcon says it responded to the city on January 9 and February 24, 2026, seeking clarification but received no response.

The applicant alleges that the situation changed on September 5, 2026, when Air Force Group Captains Kereke and Dube entered the premises without permission, removed doors and ceilings and began painting the buildings in Air Force colours.

Mashamhanda said the officers indicated to employees that the Air Force was taking over the premises and properties belonging to the club.

The papers further state that on September 12, the Air Force hosted the Zimbabwe Inter-Service Golf Team Championship at the facility.

According to Falcon, the event occupied the clubhouse and other amenities for the day, while club members were allegedly denied access.

The applicant also alleges that the Air Force officially opened what it described as the “Airforce Falcon Golf Club” during the event, with the Commander of the Air Force delivering the keynote address.

Falcon argues that these actions amounted to deprivation of its possession and seeks restoration of the position that existed before the alleged acts between September 5 and September 12, 2026.

The matter was certified as urgent by legal practitioner Edson Nyasha Matsanura, who said the club's lease remained valid until 2070 and that the applicant had paid the required lease costs and constructed buildings on the leased stands.

The certificate of urgency argues that the dispute concerns alleged spoliation and that the club should be restored to possession pending determination of the parties' rights.