FARM MANAGER ARRESTED FOR PLANTING WHEAT AGAINST POLICE ORDER (17-07-07)

last Tuesday.

Police have on numerous occasions since April – after they invaded the farm – disrupted operations at the farm with hopes of forcing off the Jouberts.

Margaret, the wife of Dave Jouberts who owns the farm confirmed that Muzenda was arrested on Tuesday for defying orders not to plant anything at the farm.

She said Muzenda who was detained at Inyathi Police Station from Tuesday till Friday was released on Saturday without any charge laid against him.

“He was arrested on Tuesday and was detained at Inyathi until his release on Saturday with no charge having been laid against himthen,” Margaret said.

Augustine Zimbili, the Matabeleland north Police spokesperson could also not be reached for comment on the matter.

Trouble for the Jouberts whose farm falls under Obert Mpofu’s Mguza-Bubi constituency started in February after police raided the farm and confiscated hunting rifles.

Police are still holding onto the hunting rifles while scores of Zanu-PF sympathizers have been making frequent visits to the farm in an apparent move to pile pressure on the white commercial farmer to move out of the farm.

The Jouberts are part of the few remaining white farmers who have been asked to leave their properties by the government after the expiry of a notice they had given for farmers to vacate their properties.

The government on 20 December last year gave the remaining white commercial farmers and an unspecified number of black people ‘illegally staying on the farms’ until 3 February to vacate their properties.

However, the government later rescinded from its earlier directive and pledged to allow them to harvest their crops-offering relief to them- CAJ News.