Instead he drove off to speak to a group of war veterans who he had befriended at another camp. When he came back to the farm with about 20 of them Mr Moyo and his team were sent packing and Mr Joubert was told to remain in his house.
At midnight the group pestered Mr Joubert for alcoholic beverage but he declined.
The next morning the Police Dispol arrived in the form of a very strict and straight forward lady. She is reported to have told the war veterans in no uncertain terms that she was also a war veteran and that they were a disgrace to their group. She insisted that she was the only person who could sign an eviction order and that was only after a successful court case. She laid down the law and ordered them to be off the farm and to return the vehicle they stole by 6pm or would face charges for the livestock they had stolen and consumed.
Update 30 June
It is reported that the stolen vehicle was not returned as reported and was used during the recent assaults in the district. The Dispol who did assist was from Norton. The vehicle has now been seen at the Chegutu Police Station. 240 litres of diesel were also stolen at the time.
342. SCOTSDALE – CHEGUTU – 23 JULY
Mr Hendrik Stein is renting one of the houses on the property and is caretaking the property whilst Mr Kobus Joubert is away on holiday. Before Mr Joubert left he reportedly held a meeting with Minister Mutasa in Harare who allegedly said that he will soon be given back the rest of his property together with another property, which he had previously lost.
However, Mr Stein was telephoned whilst on a trip to Harare by the local Lands officer and the Officer-in-Charge of Chegutu saying there would be a meeting at the farm which he must attend, as he would be given 24-hours to leave the property.
He returned to the farm and met with the group who showed him an offer letter, dated 7 July 2008. Mr Joubert had been with the Minister on 3 July 2008. The alleged beneficiary said that Mr Stein should move out immediately because he was authorised to start farming right away. He said that he had been with the Minister in Harare on the 3 July 2008 shortly after Mr Joubert had left his office.
Mr Stein said he was not the landlord and therefore had no authority over such decisions to be made. He managed to negotiate a deal that he could stay another two weeks until Mr Joubert had returned and the matter could be discussed with the new beneficiary and the committee.
Update 24 July
The alleged beneficiary of the property has been named as an officer in the President’s Office, Mr Felix Mhlanga Pambukani, 63-547693D-63, who is alleged to have been hired by the now notorious Mr Gilbert Moyo to carry out the previous attempts at jambanja which was resolved by the Propol from Norton. He is also alleged to be related to Minister Webster Shamu.
Update 25 July
The Officer-in-Charge of Selous, Inspector Sithole, telephoned Mr Stein to inform him that the beneficiary has started to throw his furniture out of the house. However he later admitted that this was just a threat and gave him until 4pm to attend a meeting with him on the farm failing which he would break in and empty the house.
Mr Stein has previously experienced a similar situation 2 ½ hears ago when he was forcefully evicted from his own house in a similar fashion on his property.
Mr Joubert’s daughter is presently waiting at Norton Police Station waiting to see Dispol and hopes to receive an offer letter for her father today to resolve the issue. Mr Joubert is due back from holiday tonight.
Update 28 July
Mr Stein reports that he went home on Friday afternoon and was given various demands by the beneficiary and staff before they eventually left. Some of the beneficiary’s staff approached Mr Stein later wanting him to clear room in the house for some 15 people which he said was impossible. They asked if he was going to the office, and at what time in the morning. After giving that information he felt he was to be set up. Later his driver came to the house to warn him that he had overheard the beneficiaries saying they wanted to ensure when he was out of the house in the morning and then to move into the house when it was open and his wife was alone. They indicated they did not want to break and enter the house, but once they were inside they would chuck everything out onto the lawn. He locked the gated but left the house saying he was going to Lomagundi to collect his child at school there. He locked up the house securely before he left.
Mr Joubert came back from leave and has been trying to make appointments to meet with Minister Mutasa and the lawyers. He said that soon after the Minister had promised him the offer letter Mr Pambukani had spoken to the Minister and accused him of holding an MDC victory party at him home so he should go. Hence he was given an offer letter instead. Mr Joubert telephoned home and everything was normal and nobody had moved into either of the houses.
SCOTSDALE – CHEGUTU – 15 AUGUST
Mr Kobus Joubert reports that the beneficiary, Mr Felix Pambukani, mounted a full-scale jambanja against him on Friday and Saturday. He was later accompanied by the Chegutu Police who insisted he vacate the property immediately. Although he tried to argue that the occupation of his property could only occur with vacant possession of the property – that is after he had been lawfully and finally evicted by a competent court of law, (which has not happened in this case), they would not listen. Neither has he either been made an offer or any form of payment of compensation for his investment.
He and his wife slept outside their house on the lawn to guard their possessions, which were thrown out of the house, after he had explained to the Police that it was impossible to pack up 40 years of possessions immediately.
Update 16 August
He was served with an eviction order, which had been granted in the Chegutu magistrates Court following an application made by the beneficiary. Although the application by a beneficiary to evict the owner is technically impossible, the Police insisted that the eviction order was in order and lawful and that they would enforce it. The Chegutu Messenger of the Court also arrived and he also informed Mr Joubert that he had to vacate the property immediately or would face arrest.
The beneficiary, Mr Pambukani, reportedly said that it was no use Mr Joubert trying to defend himself through the courts as he will not win because he has tied everything up in the courts to make sure he does not have any success. He said he knows farmers always try to defend themselves in the court but he will not win.
Information just received seems to indicate that Mr Pambukani is an impostor and is not linked to the President’s Office as he alleges.
Mr and Mrs Joubert and their workers were then physically pushed off the farm together with what furniture and equipment they could load onto their vehicles and trailers. They have nowhere else to go to as they do not own any other property or house, so they are now camping on the nearest lay-bye to their property on the main Harare – Bulawayo highway.
Update 17 August
The plight of the Joubert family and their workers camping on the edge of the main Harare – Bulawayo highway has created a lot of interest from passers by, many of whom are stopping and talking to Mr Joubert, who is fluent in Shona. Many of the people he has spoken to say they did not realise that the Zimbabwean Government is forcefully evicting white farmers and their workers off their properties like this.
Many influential black Zimbabweans, who have stopped there, (including Environmental Minister Francis Nhema, are encouraging Mr Joubert to stay where he is and to rest because they insist they are going to ensure he gets his entire farm back. They say he should conserve all his strength because once he is back on the farm he is going to be extremely busy indeed.
However, the local party chairman was critical of him living at the lay-bye as he said it was an embarrassment to the party. Mr Joubert’s comments in response are reserved.
Update 18 August
The Joubert family and their workers are still living in the lay-bye.
An application has been made to the Chegutu magistrates Court to set aside the eviction order on the grounds that it is illegal because a beneficiary cannot apply to a court for the eviction of a farmer from his property. The case is set down for Thursday 21 August.
Update 19 August
There is no change in the situation except that the Police are now becoming embarrassed by his constant interest shown by passers by and want to try to remove him from public view. However, Mr Joubert has spoken to the farm owner on whose property the lay-bye sits and has authority to move over the fence onto his property should he be forcefully moved.
Update 20 August
The same eviction notice was used today to evict Mr Hendrik Stein, who has been renting a cottage on the farm following his own previous violent from his own property. He also has no other home to go to so he too is now camped at the same lay-bye as Mr Joubert.
Update 21 August
The matter of the illegal eviction notice will be heard in the Chegutu magistrates Court this morning. Mr and Mrs Joubert and their staff have been camped at the lay-bye since last Saturday.
Post published in: News