A retired colonel is struggling to recover a residential stand he bought for his son that has been invaded by Zanu PF youth who claim protection from the “top” and refusing to vacate despite losing the case at the courts.
Retired Colonel Wellington Maraire (64) has been in and out of court against Givemore Tendemudzi who invaded his son, Wesley’s residential stand in Hopley, Harare.
Tendemudzi is now wanted by the police on a charge of contempt of court after he refused to vacate Wesley’s residential stand despite his house being demolished in August last.
Instead of leaving the property, he raised another two-roomed house three days later and moved in again.
Tendemudzi is now on the police wanted list. He was issued with a warrant of arrest on 29 February for absconding court where he was supposed to answer contempt of court charges.
He is supposed to be at Mbare Magistrate Court tomorrow to answer charges of contempt of court.
According to court papers, Wesley got a lease for the stand from the Ministry of Local Government in 2019 but was surprised to learn that someone had settled on his stand in November 2022.
Wesley reported the matter to the police, represented by his father Wellington, a war veteran and retired colonel. Tendemudzi lost the case.
The magistrate ruled that Tendemudzi did not have papers for the stand and should move out.
Maraire received a warrant of ejectment from the Harare magistrate’s Court on 21 July 2023, and a demolition order on August 1, the date the invader’s house was demolished.
However, three days later, Tendemudzi was back on the stand.
Maraire was back in court against Tendemudzi for contempt of court, but he absconded court on 29 February, leading to a warrant of arrest being issued against him.
He is now appealing to President Emmerson Mnangagwa to ensure that land barons are dealt with decisively because they derail other people’s development.
He said what was worrying was that Tendemudzi boasted that he was working with powerful people and that no one would remove him from the stand.
Tendemudzi is said to have been bragging that he is connected to one Mai Magaya, who is an employee at the Zanu PF headquarters in Harare and allegedly leading land invasions in Harare South.
On Saturday, Tendemudzi was not picking up calls. He also did not respond to a message sent on his mobile phone. Today, his number was now barred from accessing any incoming calls.
Tendemudzi is one of the people who claim to be Zanu PF youths working with one Justice Taruva, an alleged land baron, to invade residential stands in Harare South.
Last month, the youth were involved in a violent clash over the late Zanu PF provincial member Antony Gono’s residential stand in Grobly Park, Waterfalls, that resulted in the injury of Taruva and Leonard Gono, the Zanu PF shadow councillor for the area.
A police officer was also arrested after producing a gun, fighting in the corner of Taruva, to disperse Leonard and his team who were resisting the takeover of Antony’s residential stand.
Taruva has three cases under police investigation relating to the invasion of residential stands in Harare South.
