HARARE - Despite his frequent and vociferous claims that the land reform programme was designed to give farming land to landless blacks, President Robert Mugabe and his immediate family have been exposed as a multiple farm owners.The Mugabe family owns at least 10 large-scale commercial farms. Mugabe has in the past said that even polygamous men should respect the one family one farm policy, which he and his polygamous inner cabal have flagrantly violated.
Earlier this year Mugabe took ministers on a tour of Gushungo Dairy Estates, formerly Foyle Farm which he grabbed from accomplished dairy farmer Ian Webster, to show off the millions of dollars of state-of-the-art equipment he had installed there. But he has kept very quiet about most of his farms, presumably for fear of being exposed as a multiple farm owner.
Investigations have revealed that Mugabe also owns Highfield Farm on the outskirts of Norton, while two nearby farms were acquired by the state to create a security buffer zone.
Iron Mask Farm, next to Gushungo Dairy Estates, also belongs to the Mugabe family although it is believed to be in the name of his wife, Grace.
Iron Mask was owned by the Matthews family and Grace was reportedly enticed by their mansion farm house with Italian tiles. Despite government policy not to sell equipment found on farms, Grace auctioned machinery at the farm during a public auction.
As accusations of multiple farm ownership against the Mugabe family increased, Grace tried to hoodwink the nation that she was building a home for street kids at the farm. The project has been quietly forgotten.
Inquiries within the farming sector have revealed that the Mugabe family has also taken over Sigaru Farm, Liverdale Farm, Bassil Farm and Mazowe Farm in Mashonaland Central.
Grace is understood to be currently completing the formal takeover of a farm in Mashonaland West which she wants to give to her son from her first marriage, Russell Goreraza.
His father, Stanley was posted to China several years ago as a military attach before Mugabe helped himself to Grace.
Mugabes nephew, Leo Mugabe, according to divorce papers served on him by his wife, has three large-scale commercial farms while younger brother, Patrick Zhuwawo has two farms.
Mugabes sister Sabina was involved in a much-publicised farm grab in Norton at the height of the farm invasions. It has not been possible to establish yet which other farms have been quietly acquired by the Mugabes but one thing is certain, they have grabbed a large percentage of Zimbabwes best arable land.
We have not forgotten that in 2008, Nathaniel Manheru predicted that there would be blood on the political floor barely weeks before Zanu (PF) went into an orgy of violence following the MDCs historic election victory last year. Jonathan Moyos diatribe has been a forerunner to calamities against forces of progress, the spokesperson said.
This is not the first time a bullet has been sent as a threat. In 2007, the Deputy Editor of The Standard, Bill Saidi, received a similar parcel after publishing a cartoon in which baboons were laughing at the payslip of a soldier.
As a party, we hope that there will be full investigation on this matter and we hope that the justice system will move with speed in getting to the root of this matter, said the spokesperson.
Post published in: News