BY KENNETH NYAGANI
THE 56 Rusape farmers who face eviction after government directed that they should leave Nyamatsanga Farm owned by Carthouse Enterprises (Pvt) Ltd have threatened to invade the neighbouring Dark-bridge Farm in Nyazura.
The farmers were allocated plots at Nyamatsanga Farm under A1 and A2 schemes of the land reform programme in 2003.
The 520-hectare farm was sub-divided into plots with each farmer getting at least five hectares.
The owner of Nyamatsanga Farm, Bongani Mlambo, won his farm back after government decided to give back land to blacks who had their farms compulsorily acquired during the land reform programme.
Chairperson of the affected farmers, Radman Usavi, told NewsDay that they were now planning to invade Dark-bridge Farm along Harare-Mutare Highway in Nyazura.
“We are going to attack and invade Dark-bridge Farm along Mutare Road in Nyazura if they remove us from Nyamatsanga Farm. That is going to be our next step because the affected farmers are not happy at all,” Usavi said.
“We are going to have a meeting with some government officials today (yesterday) so that we can resolve some issues.”
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The farmers are resisting eviction despite the existence of a High Court order directing them to vacate Mlambo’s farm.
NewsDay is in possession of a copy of the High Court order.
Carthouse Enterprises (Private) Limited, reportedly owned by Mlambo, was the applicant in the matter.
In his ruling, High Court judge Justice Joseph Mafusire last year said government’s ownership of the land was null and void.
“It is ordered that the preliminary notice to compulsorily acquire the property known as a certain piece of land situated in Makoni district measuring 529,3287 hectares called Nyamatsanga held under deed of transfer No 10197/99 in the name of the applicant which was published in the Government Gazette on May 16, 2003 and the subsequent compulsory acquisition of the property by the first respondent is hereby declared null and void for non-compliance with the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” the order read.
