Farm Grabs: Activists Vow To Fight

Farm grabs are becoming the order of the day in the country. Graphic by The Citizen Bulletin

BY LIZWE SEBATHA | @The_CBNews | This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. | JUN 25, 2021

A move by the Lands and Agriculture ministry to seize a farm in Nyamandlovu belonging to three individuals — one of them a prominent government critic — exposes the corrupt and dubious nature of the government's black empowerment drive where only the politically correct are beneficiaries, observers have said.

NYAMANDLOVU (The Citizen Bulletin) — Government critic Siphosami, who is the son of late nationalist Sydney Malunga and Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) director, co-owns the farm with businessman Charles Moyo and Zephania Dlamini, a scientist working at the National University of Science and Technology.

In a state gazette, Lands minister Anxious Masuka said the farm measuring 553 hectares and situated in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North province is being compulsory acquired under section 72(2) of the country’s constitution.

However, the move has attracted widespread condemnation from human rights activists and analysts from the region who described the farm acquisition as political persecution while the militant Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) vowed resistance.

“We will defend our people; we did it for Davies, we will do it for Siphosami or anyone from Matabeleland without fear or favour. MRP was formed specifically to defend, protect and promote our people,” Mbonisi Gumbo, an MRP activist says.

In March, MRP activists clashed with the anti-riot police in a land dispute in Ntabazinduna pitting a former white commercial farmer, Brian Davies and former vice president’s Kembo Mohadi son in law, Floyd Ambrose.

Reports at the time showed that Ambrose, who is Davies’ former worker, evicted the latter from Tabas Induna Farm in Ntabazinduna farm and lodge, defying three High Court orders barring him from doing so.

The Davies family, which employs more than 350 workers, who together with their families have been wholly dependent on income generated from the farming and photographic safari operations at Tabas Induna farm, have remained on the property following MRP’s intervention.

“MRP will not allow the continuation of the disposition of our people's land and natural resources, business, rights and so on.”
Mbonisi Gumbo, an MRP activist

The farm seizure also exposes the corrupt nature of governments’ black empowerment drive where critics are persecuted and denied opportunities, analysts noted.

MRP members forcibly evicted Floyd Ambrose from Davies farm in Ntabazinduna.

Critics have always argued the black empowerment program is little more than a pet project for the government, ruling Zanu PF elites and their supporters.

“His (Malunga) stance is the reason why they are going against him, against his farm and they are using him as an example of what they would do and will continue to do against human rights defenders, and against all those that are fighting for a better Zimbabwe,” Bulawayo based analyst Effie Ncube says.

The government has been accused of fighting critics by taking over their farms and other business ventures.

Former minister Saviour Kasukuwere is fighting to have a war veteran evicted from his farm in Mazowe and is accusing authorities of not doing anything despite a court order.

Recently, Zanu PF youth invaded a Mutorashanga farm belonging to war veteran Frederick Mutanda, who they accused of undermining President Emmerson Mnangagwa by filing a High Court application challenging his extension of Chief Justice Luke Malaba’s term of office despite him reaching retirement age.

“There is no doubt that the persecution of Malunga is because of his stance against lawlessness, against human rights violations, against the persecution of human rights defenders,” Ncube adds.

“The issue about Malunga's farm is about precedence. If they can take from him, what more of us? More so if they can take from someone who bought what does it mean to us who want to buy? It’s difficult to make any developments in farms like that.”
Scholar Rodrick Fayayo

On Monday, Malunga claimed that documents relating to the acquisition of the farm had been stolen at the Deeds Companies office in a move aimed at ‘weakening’ their fight for control of the property.

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“The levels of sordidness and underhandedness related to our farm issue are shocking. We gather someone removed the documents proving ownership from the files at the deeds and companies office,” Malunga revealed while the Matabeleland Forum, a grouping of regional civic groups, described the farm seizure as a vengeful, unabashed and deliberate assault on the private property.

“This clearly militates against the government’s thrust of black economic empowerment. The move by the State authorities is baseless, senseless and smacks of unmeasured avarice, capricious and malevolent intentions,” the Forum argued.

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