The eviction,
carried out on Monday, saw families dumped along the Harare-Bindura Highway
with their damaged belongings following the ejection from Arnold Farm in
Mazowe.
The farm has in
the past been controversially linked to high-profile politicians, including
former First Lady Grace Mugabe, who attempted to remove the settlers before.
In the latest
run-in, victims described a brutal process in which they were given only
minutes to remove their possessions before their homes were set ablaze.
The eviction
left them exposed at the start of the rainy season, with several children among
evictees.
“The eviction
was so cruel. We were told to remove our property within minutes,” said Pearson
Tagara, one of the affected villagers.
“This resulted
in furniture like kitchen units, wardrobes and beds being damaged as we rushed
to move. It’s heart breaking.”
Soon after they
removed their property, the huts were torched.
The 1
245-hectare Arnold Farm, also known as Manzou Farm near the scenic Mazowe Dam,
has a long history of contentious ownership implicating top politicians.
The latest
action was a climax of a protracted struggle over the property.
Distraught
settlers have alleged the involvement of Vice-President Kembo Mohadi’s son,
Mafenyadira, in the recent eviction.
The victims are
appealing for justice and government intervention.
“We are
suffering abuse that is ill-timed, depriving us of our right to peace and
shelter,” said one settler, capturing the group’s desperation. We could not get
a comment from Mafenyadira before going to print.
In December,
over 300 villagers held a demonstration at the same farm against manoeuvres by
Mafenyadira to evict them from the property they have called home for years.
Villagers
accused Mafenyadira of unleashing State security agents to threaten them, but
they were not deterred as they went on to destroy a fence that Mohadi’s son had
erected.
It was reported
that Mafenyadira engaged security guards to conduct night patrols, with several
people being arrested on charges of trespassing.
In December,
through his cousin, Mafenyadira confirmed the violent clashes with villagers in
an interview with NewsDay.
“I understand
that violent illegal settlers at Old Arnold Farm in Mazowe demonstrated,
vandalised property and harmed security guards at Vice-President Mohadi’s son
place over a farm he was allocated by the Ministry of Lands,” Hardlife Samuwi,
the cousin, said.
“Our farm hand
had his hand broken by these illegal settlers.”
In March 2017,
police forcibly evicted villagers from the farm, demolishing their homes and
destroying crops in the name of establishing a national monument and expanding
business interests associated with the former First Lady.
The community
subsequently sought legal assistance from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human
Rights, resulting in a High Court ruling that favoured the villagers and halted
their eviction.
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