EX-RHODESIAN premier, Howard Unwin Moffat’s grandson, Robert Bruce, who has for a long time been embroiled in a farm dispute with the late ex-Zipra official and State security agent, Collen Shava’s widow, Sibongile, over ownership of Oakland Farm, was on Thursday back in court facing allegations of illegally occupying gazetted land.
Source: Ex-Rhodesian premier’s grandson back in court over farm – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 11, 2017
BY SILAS NKALA
Sibongile and Bruce have been locked in the dispute since 2015.
On Thursday, Bruce, (66) pleaded not guilty to the charge of illegally occupying the farm when he appeared before Bulawayo magistrate, Adeline Mbeure and was remanded to February 16 for trial.
The court heard that on October 25, 2002, Oakland Farm was acquired by the State for the purposes of resettling farmers.
It is the State’s case that Bruce was supposed to vacate the farm and cease occupation by December 9, 2002, but he continued occupying the property without any lawful authority.
The State alleges in September 2013, Bruce was asked to vacate the farm, but he refused, saying the offer letter shown to him was fake and not from the Lands ministry.
Sometime in 2015, Bruce was taken to the Small Claims Court, which ruled in Shava’s favour, ordering Bruce to pave way for the new owner.
But Bruce applied to the High Court seeking an interdict against his eviction.
High Court judge, Justice Martin Makonese ordered Shava to stay away from the 216-hectare cattle ranch pending the review of the Small Claims Court ruling on the same case.
Justice Makonese’s ruling stayed the Small Claims Court ruling, thereby, allowing Bruce to remain at the farm. The court also ordered Shava to stop interfering with Bruce’s operations, but in a turn of events, Shava has revived the case by filing criminal charges against Bruce.
The farm in question is situated in Insiza, Matabeleland South province.
Sibongile’s late husband was a driver for the late Vice-President Joshua Nkomo, while Moffat was Southern Rhodesia’s second premier from 1927 to 1933.
COMMENTS
Re settling people on a farm that is cleaned and yet there are many patches of land that are all over Zimbabwe which are not being utilized is cruel. When white farmers took land in Zimbabwe or even any where in Africa, its on record that most of the land was not being utilized for land cultivation but patches of land for hunting. To show that it was not for cultivation, there is so much black Africans who were allocated land. The people occupied the land, the first thing they did, they hunt the animals, burn the grass, flash out all animals including rabbits. Then the cut the big trees for fire wood and charcoal to sell. After that they desserted the land, went back into town and now are allocated pieces of land in urban centers by the like of Philip Chiyangwa, Savior Kasukuwere and ZANU PF in general.
Good wrk i fill impressed.keep up the gud work.
imbwa chete ewe ibva nyika we Zimbabwe