CHIPINGE farmer and retired Swiss banker, Richard Le Vieux,
who has established a reputable business of exporting coffee, avocados and
macadamia nuts for the past 30 years, appeared in court on Wednesday charged
with failing to vacate part of FarFell Coffee Estate to make way for Manicaland
Provincial Affairs minister Ellen Gwaradzimba’s son.
Le Vieux, director of Farfell Coffee Estate (Private)
Limited, together with his company, pleaded not guilty to contravening section
3(2) ()a) as read with section (3)(3) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential
Provisions) Act (occupying gazetted land without lawful authority) when he
appeared before Chipinge magistrate, Farai Gwitima.
He was remanded out of custody to May 29 for continuation
of trial. Gwaradzimba’s son, Remembrance Mbudzana claimed he was allocated Lot
1 of Farfell Coffee Estate by the Lands ministry.
“I arrived at the magistrate court to collect summons only
to learn that, in fact, I will be on trial and I had no legal representation,”
Vieux said.
Vieux is set to be represented by Harare lawyer Norman
Mugiya.
In a warned and cautioned statement recorded by one
Assistant Inspector Makovere at Chipinge Rural Police Station, Mbudzana (40)
believes that the white commercial farmer was unlawfully occupying the land.
“I know the accused person, namely Richard Le Vieux as a
director of Farfell Coffee Estate referred as the first accused person. On
January 10 2019, I successfully applied for A2 model resettlement and I was
allocated land by the acquiring authority at Lot 1 of Farfell Coffe Estate,
Chipinge, measuring 229,400 hectares through an offer letter,” the letter read.
“I immediately approached the provincial lands officers who
took me to the said land. I was shown the boundaries of the farm physically
against a respective map which I also now see before the court as exhibit.”
He said Vieux refused to vacate the land on January 17.
Gwaradzimba has been accused of using her political muscle
to facilitate the eviction of over 350 families at Zengeni Farm in Mutasa
district where she reportedly has interests. The families recently received eviction
notices from the Lands ministry to vacate the farm in Penhalonga.
Gwaradzimba also occupies part of Zengeni Farm and is
reportedly eyeing to extend her land by driving out the villagers who have been
living at the farm for decades.
The villagers were surprised that Gwaradzimba intensified
the process of evicting them soon after assuming her ministerial position. Newsday
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