via UK: Zim exiles protest against farm grab Dr – NewZimbabwe 08/02/2016
SCORES of Zimbabwean exiles last week staged another protest at a surgery run by a doctor accused of grabbing a productive farm in Centenary as part of President Robert Mugabe’s controversial land reforms.
Zimbabwean Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro, who is said to hold British citizenship, and wife Veronica, have faced criticism over their seizure of Phillip Rankin’s farm. Rankin had who worked the Centenary farm for 35 years
Mugabe has taken land from white commercial farmers over the past 16 years for redistribution to local blacks, but critics say the main beneficiaries have been top officials in the 92-year-old leader’s regime.
The Nyatsuros, who run a practice that includes a weight-loss clinic in Nottingham, deny allegations they are related to Mugabe’s influential wife Grace.
Farmer Rankin and his family had resisted eviction until last week when armed police turned up and forced them off the land.
A lawyer for the Nyatsuros said they had acquired the farm legally and never used violence.
“Dr Nyatsuro has an offer letter from the government,” said Fungai Chimwamurombe.
“Doc is only a victim of the war between the government and Mr Rankin. It is not fair to bring it to Nottingham. It shows that they have an agenda to tarnish our clients’ image.”
Ministry of lands official, Nyasha Mupta, added: “The piece of land was acquired by the state in 2005.
“Since then, it’s only the person who has an offer letter issued by the Ministry of Lands that has authority for the land – that’s the Nyatsuros.”
But exiles who staged a protest at their surgery last week, accused Nyatsuro of abusing “British hospitality”.
“As fellow Zimbabweans we wish to express our disgust at your abuse of British hospitality,” read a protest document pushed through clinic’s letter box.
“You work as a doctor for the NHS but feel free to steal a white-owned farm in Zimbabwe in your spare time.
“We have tried to meet you to discuss this matter but all we got were lies, evasion and legal threats.
“So we return to your clinic to draw the attention of your patients and the wider community to your greed and hypocrisy.
“If you wanted to have a farm in Zimbabwe why are you here? Get out of the UK and don’t come back.”
UK Prime Minister David Cameron has also been petitioned to revoke the medic’s British citizenship.
Reads the petition:
“Zimbabweans in the UK and sympathisers are appalled by the behaviour of Dr Sylvester Nyatsuro and his wife who run a clinic in Nottingham.
“He is a British citizen yet he has illegally seized a farm in Zimbabwe owned by a white Zimbabwean farmer who bought it with the approval of Mugabe.
“The Nyatsuros are connected to Grace Mugabe. Why should a British doctor want a farm in Zimbabwe when he is in full-time employment here and has no known farming expertise?
We ask that Dr Nyatsuro’s citizenship is revoked on the grounds that it was obtained by means of ‘fraud, false representation or concealment of any material fact’.”
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