Last year, war veterans led by the Mazowe district war
veteran chairperson Ephanos Mudzimunyi invaded Kasukuwere’s Concorpia Farm and
helped themselves to his harvest, leading to the self-exiled former minister to
seek recourse from the courts.
The farm was among those that had been targeted for
repossession by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government and yesterday,
workers at the farm told NewsDay that Mudzimunyi had taken control of the
130-hectare farm claiming that he had been allocated the piece of land by the
late Lands, Agriculture, Water and Rural Resettlement minister Perrance Shiri.
Mudzimunyi is said to be staying in one of the farm houses
with his family, while production at the farm has been stagnant.
“He is still occupying the farm and says he is not going
anywhere. There hasn’t been production here despite that we have a court order
and even engaged the Sheriff of court, but nothing has moved,” one of the
workers told NewsDay yesterday.
“We did not do anything the whole season and that is a big
loss for the farm. Workers are there and they are being paid by Kasukuwere even
without doing any work.
“He (the war veteran) is harvesting oranges from the farm
and is selling them without the farm owners’ consent.”
Kasukuwere, who is based in South Africa, fled the country
in 2017 following the November 2017 military coup that ousted the late former
President Robert Mugabe in whose government he served.
He told NewsDay that Mudzimunyi’s actions showed that there
was need for institutions in the country to respect the law.
“The invaders should realise that times have changed and
they will not be spared for the damages made on the farm, and we will charge
them,” Kasukuwere said. “Institutions should respect the law. The Sheriff’s
office is in serious breach of law in spite of the fact that I have also paid
for the removal of the illegal settlers.”
Mudzimunyi was not available at the farm when NewsDay
visited the farmhouse that he occupies in order to get a comment from him.
In May last year, Kasukuwere alleged that the illegal
takeover of the farm scuttled a US$5 million investment deal with a Dubai-based
tycoon.
This prompted him to file an urgent High Court chamber
application challenging government’s decision to expropriate part of the farm.
The High Court ruled in his favour, but Mudzimunyi has
allegedly continued to harvest export quality oranges on Lot 2, the best part
of the vast estate running parallel to the perennial Mazowe River.
Observers have accused the ruling Zanu PF party of using
farm invasions to silence its critics.
Last week, war veteran and businessman Fred Mutanda’s farm
in Mutorashanga, Mashonaland West province, was invaded by a group of suspected
Zanu PF youths who said they were not happy with him for “undermining”
Mnangagwa by filing papers at the High Court opposing the extension of Chief
Justice Luke Malaba’s term of office.
Mutanda last week told NewsDay that he was being accused of
working with Vice-President Constantino Chiwenga and Judge President Justice
George Chiweshe to undermine the President after he joined the Young Lawyers
Association of Zimbabwe in suing government, the Judicial Service Commission,
Attorney-General Prince Machaya and Malaba to fight his (Malaba’s) term
extension which the courts ruled illegal.
“They (the government) don’t want to be accountable and by
doing so, we are betraying what we fought for. You then ask yourself why then
did I become a freedom fighter if such things continue to happen 41 years after
independence,” Mutanda said.
“They are cowards and now accuse me of teaming up with
Vice-President Chiwenga and Judge President Chiweshe in the application they
say was undermining the President. I don’t even speak to those people and have
never even met them for a cup of tea.” Newsday
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