via Chombo an unproductive ‘cellphone and weekend’ farmer | SW Radio Africa by Mthulisi Mathuthu on Wednesday, March 5, 2014
Local government minister and ZANU PF secretary for land, Ignatius Chombo, has been exposed as an unproductive land-grabber with his ex-wife telling the court that he is a ‘cell phone and weekend’ farmer.
Marian Mhloyi made these claims before the High Court last week in a case in which she is fighting her ex-husband over the ownership of the Allan Grange Farm. Mhloyi also revealed the size of the farm which she said is 3,100 hectares, almost eight times more than the government gazetted size.
The ownership of the Rafingora-located property was not decided when the two were formally divorced two years ago. Chombo recently approached the court seeking the ejection of his ex-wife from the farm, but Mhloyi wants to keep 400 hectares, which she said is in line with the government gazetted farm sizes. She is currently engaged in livestock production on a small section of the property.
Mhloyi argued that Chombo has no time for agriculture and is also unproductive. She said if Chombo does not want to farm alongside her he stood a chance of getting another farm through his influential positions in government and in ZANU PF. She also produced utility bills for water and electricity which were all under her name to prove that she was active on the farm.
Chombo told the court that he deserved the property to enable him to repay bank loans of over one million dollars. Chombo also admitted that he did not tell Metbank and CBZ banks that he co-owned the property with his ex-wife when he applied for loans. He said he obtained the loans to buy machinery and finance farming activities through his private company, Growfin.
Mhloyi’s lawyer Beatrice Mtetwa argued that Growfin had no legal claim to the farm as the property was jointly owned by Chombo and his ex-wife in accordance with the offer letter and the lease agreement. She accused Chombo of deliberately incurring debts to defeat his ex-wife’s claim to the property.
Justice for Agriculture head Worsely-Worswick said he is not surprised to hear that Chombo is a bad farmer. He said Chombo is one of the many beneficiaries of the land-grab exercise who have neither time nor skills to farm productively. Speaking on SW Radio Africa’s Cutting Edge programme, Worsely-Worswick said Chombo is one of the many ZANU PF people who have ‘destroyed commercial agriculture and the economy.’
According to the whistleblower website WikiLeaks, a 2003 cable from US envoy Joseph Sullivan said Chombo was one of the many top ZANU PF officials who had received more than one farm through the land grab exercise.
COMMENTS
Long time a guy by the name of HUTU said all will be revealed .Watch this space……
chombo failed at the university of Zimbabwe. What can he do. You are expecting too much from him. He cannot even remember how much he looted and he repeatedly loots what is his. These ndugu doctors care the less. They are moving ghosts from which nothing will come for living people.
We let this happen time and time again – history says only fools don’t learn from their mistakes. My comrades there are many many fools in Zimbabwe because we continue to let zanupf run this country under the senile dribbling old carcass called Mugabe.
I wonder why banks give loans to these crooks. Their modus operandi is looting and looting. What do you honestly expect from Gina, a play boy
“She also produced utility bills for water and electricity which were all under her name to prove that she was active on the farm.”
Can she also produce receipts?
The truth shall set us free .
The truth of the matter is neither of them is the rightful owner of the property in question. Theft of someone else’s property shouldn’t be legitimised by a court. Let’s get competent people in the meantime to run this farm & thereby help to feed ourselves. There are hundreds of experienced & competent people just sitting around waiting for just such an opportunity but of course those can make this happen are such bitter little people that they won’t.
Nzara Yotonga MuZimbabwe “He cannot even remember how much he looted and he repeatedly loots what is his.” Love it….
‘Allan Grange Farm’
Thought when these two appropriated this farm they would have indegenised it and Christened it to something like….
Ngatirimeyi Farm of something!!
In the mean time
ZAMHU RAMAI CHOMBO IRI
RAMAI MHLOYI IRI……..NOW FIGHT TO THE DEATH. MAY THE BIGGER THIEF WIN
You cannot hide the truth forever,things are beginning to happen in the positive direction to expose all these bad ill-informed crooks.I was surprised to read headlines on one of the newspapers today in Byo.If I remember properly the sentence was as follows-Mlisa queries Mpofu’s source of funds.
This is clear indication that our public protests through these websites are beginning to register to the masses including other politicians.
These misguided politicians who have made themselves beyond touch and perpetual impunity are beginning to taste real pressure from the public.Their pride and rudeness have caught up with them either through their carelessness or greediness.