Source: White farmer ‘resists’ to make way for minister’s son – NewsDay Zimbabwe May 24, 2019
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.
BY KENNETH NYANGANI /Richard Muponde
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.
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COMMENTS
Just goes to prove that there’s one law for the “elite” and another for the villagers.
Good God, when will this madness end?
And to think that our so-called Government is said to be still trying to get enterprises to invest in Zimbabwe so as to bring us into the real world.
And how is it always some big shot with ZANU PF connections that is always taking someone else’s land for free?
The thieving snakes always want to reap where they did not hoe.
Kiss any foreign investment goodbye….
Sadly Zimbabwe has bred a nation who think that they are immune from prosecution for stealing anything a white man has worked all his life for. If that farmer had been sitting on land that only had grasslands, I can guarantee it wouldn’t be touched by a ZANUPF who only want a viable property complete with crops ready to reap. Makes me sick to my stomach. And yes, that basically does the job of keeping foreign investors away.
There is plenty under-utilised land in Zimbabwe which is currently under some useless people who were just perennial crops harvesters after white farmers had done all the hard work ?. Then you have imbeciles wailing all day talking about new dispensation that is a hoax!!!
Any serious government would suspend or call off all of these damaging land takeovers and look in the land allocations to flash out multiple farms grabbers and fairly reallocate to the needy, but as we know we are expecting thieves to bring themselves to the courts to be prosecuted, it doesn’t happen to them it’s an entitlement!!! Zimbabweans are so docile to the extent that they will all rather die than stand up for their rights!!!
If I was him I will torch everything I worked for before if possible block or disable all water and electric supply to the house and the whole estate. They want to rip where they did not sow.
I am really saddened by this very sad development affecting the Zengeni families in Penhalonga.The Zengeni family settled in that area in the 19th century and to date the area is known as kwaZengeni. The 1952 or so land apportionment act saw the land being taken away from the Zengenis and given to a British settler.After independence through follow ups by our elders who are now mostly late to reclaim our land the Government found it fit to return it to the rightful owners that is the Zengenis.Corruption seems to have been the game because the land without question belongs to the Zengeni clan.The minister I believe is simply using his muscle.All the records about what I have said are in the archives.(kwaMudzviti)Kare hagaari ari kare.