via Zanu PF supporters invade Shamrock Farm by Moses Matenga for Newsday.co.zw September 16, 2013
SCORES of suspected Zanu PF supporters and war veterans on Saturday besieged Shamrock Farm in Beatrice, Mashonaland East province, belonging to an MDC-T official Silent Dube and abducted him before dumping him at a nearby army barrack.
The police were called in to disperse the rogue crowd suspected to have been predominantly from Harare that came in a convoy of about 30 vehicles and estimated at over 200 people.
When NewsDay visited the farm yesterday, scores of people in Zanu PF regalia, were still milling around Beatrice Police Station while Dube had returned to his farm with police officers manning the premises.
Dube, a former army officer, said he got the farm legally in 2004 and related well with senior Zanu PF officials in the province despite his political affiliation.
“I was handcuffed and beaten up. I asked these people why they were tarnishing the image of the President (Robert Mugabe). I told them that my presence on the farm should be a good thing for Zanu PF to say the land reform programme was not a Zanu PF thing,” Dube said showing off his bruised hands and swollen face.
“I was relaxing with my visitor when I saw several vehicles, almost 30 of them and I realised trouble had started. They said they had come to take my farm and I should leave immediately. They ordered me to get my belongings out.”
Dube said the war veterans said he should not have benefited from a Zanu PF land reform programme. “They took away MDC-T posters and my personal documents including passport,” he said.
The former army investigating officer said that he lost in the MDC-T primary elections to represent his party in Mhondoro-Mubaira. He was the constituency representative for the Joint Implementation and Monitoring Committee (Jomic).
He said that people in Mashonaland East were at peace, but accused those from Harare of destabilising the farming community.
“They also wanted to take over a white man’s farm here, but I think they will not continue, thanks to the local police who stopped them. The late Solomon Mujuru used to stand up against these acts because he respected people and peace,” Dube said.
In a related matter, Manyame Rural District Council (MRDC) yesterday warned villagers against illegal grabbing and allocation of land saying anyone caught doing so would be arrested. MRDC said villagers should desist from allocating or acquiring land outside what is stipulated by the Communal Lands Act.
“Council officials and the Zimbabwe Republic Police officers will patrol all villages on a daily basis and anyone who is found building or making any developments on any piece of land will be arrested. Concerned villagers are also encouraged to report anyone found pegging, occupying or building on any communal land without a valid permit,” the rural district council said.
COMMENTS
Dube, these thugs are not tarnishing Mugabe’s name. They are doing his bidding because violence is what Mugabe does best. Remember how he gloated about his degrees in violence and how he recently threatened to punish Harare snd Bulawayo residents for not voting for him?
Gukurahundi Mugabe has long tarnished his own name through his gukurahundi politics. He doesnt need anyone to do it for him!!
Lawlessness has been fostered by Zanu PF for many years.
“Blair, Keep your England, and I ll keep my Zimbabwe”
Iam positive these are thugs thats why the police acted to stop this from happening , people must refrain from being ill thinkers and pointing everything to ZANU PF ,we ought to be positive and have a way forward , people must accept that even though elections were rigged we can not change the situation now but we still need to strategise and go forward under the leadership of ZANU PF for the next five ,lets accept that it is no longer time for campaigning and paying revenge but it is the period to ask ourself on how do we go forward and we need to be a bit deplomatic about it and stop revealing our enger to ZANU PF all the time. An empty tin makes a lot of noise and we don’t need to fall into that catagory .
Dzoromuvhu and company you have now started your sabotaging acts…
They are thugs but we all know that thugs are found in ZanuPf that is their bedrock. They hide in zanupf. Give me one zanupf member who is not a thug maybe except my classmate Walter Chidhakwa, he was always cool at school and I don’k think the thuggish behaviour is in him, but all others are thugs. Asks Saviour he will tell you how they do it, either you are a thug or you are not zanupf.
Maita i don’t care about it , the fact is that we can not create more thugs out of the situation . If ZANU have got thugs prove it and i will support you without doubt .
All thieves hands should be cut off at the elbow..
What has this dube guy done that piece of land since 2004 ?