Zimbabwe: Neighbours Pounce On Farmer in Allocation Dispute

Source from:  The Herald (Harare) June 21, 2006 06/22/2006

AN A2 farmer from Beatrice was allegedly attacked and unlawfully evicted from his farm by neighbours at the height of a dispute over his allocation of the farm. The farmer, Mr Darlington Mafuta, the owner of Elladel Farm in Marirangwe, Mashonaland East also lost 600 South African Rand, Z$200 million, a new Nokia 9500 cellphone and various clothing items. He sustained a deep cut above his right eye, multiple bruises all over his body and lost a tooth during the altercation. Police in Beatrice confirmed that the incident occurred last week at Mr Mafuta's farm around 7pm. "Yes, we received such a report and we are investigating the case," the Officer-in-Charge at Beatrice Police Station, who declined to divulge more information, said. According to Mr Mafuta, who was allocated the A2 farm by Government in 2002, his assailants attacked him while having dinner with his family. "They requested to see me but I told them that I was having dinner and they should wait. But their leader and one of his workers entered my house and dragged me outside before they started assaulting me," Mr Mafuta said. He said the group of farmers and their workers as well as other people who claimed to be from the Central Intelligence Organisation allegedly continued assaulting him ordering him to leave the farm. "They ordered my family to vacate the farm house and they started removing my property from the house," said Mr Mafuta. After removing all the property from the house, Mr Mafuta said the group then disappeared and he managed to call an officer at the National Land Taskforce who advised him to report the case to the police. "I subsequently made a report at Beatrice Police Station," he said. He added that he then went to Beatrice Hospital and was referred to Chitungwiza Central Hospital where he was examined. Mr Mafuta also told The Herald that his neighbours were accusing him of vandalising property at the farm yet the infrastructure was already damaged when he was allocated the property, which once belonged to a Mr Denis Pascal. He also accused the A1 farmers of sabotaging production on his farm and another A1 farmer had built a house on top of irrigation lines on the farm. "The A1 farmers have been withholding a 60-horse power water pump, which draws water from Manyame River for irrigation since 2002 just to frustrate my projects on the farm," he said. His neighbours, Mr Mafuta alleged, were conniving with some top officials in Seke District who wanted to take-over the farm. Contacted for comment, the Seke District Administrator, Mr Eric Samunda said Mr Mafuta was lawfully evicted from the farm. "A team from the Provincial Land Task Force has made recommendations that (Mr) Mafuta has no capacity to run the crocodile project. So he was lawfully evicted from the farm," Mr Samunda said. He also dismissed allegations that Mr Mafuta was attacked saying he had injured himself while going out of the house. "You should tell him to stop going around telling lies that I am the one who is removing him from the farm. Even his own neighbours don't like him. He used to refuse them access to the tobacco barns, which are supposed to be shared among resettled farmers," he said. Mr Samunda also accused Mr Mafuta of destroying property on the crocodile farm. Mr Mafuta has since written to Mashonaland East Governor and Resident Minister, Cde Ray Kaukonde complaining over disruptions of farming activities at his farm. In the letter, Mr Mafuta outlined how he had ventured into various activities including the breeding of chickens, pigeons, guinea fowls and geese for export but all these have been destroyed. In 2003, Mr Mafuta lost rabbits, guinea fowls and property valued over $56 million after a fire mysteriously started on his farm. The fire is suspected to have been started by his neighbours. Enditem