HARARE Headlands commercial farmer Charles Lock has asked the High Court to convict one of Zimbabwes top army brigadiers of contempt of court for disobeying several orders to let the farmer collect his property from a farm the officer has invaded. (Pictured: Prime Minister Tsvangirai His calls for law and order on farms have gone unheeded.)
Jude President Rita Makarau last week postponed the application by Lock to November 16 to allow Brigadier Justine Mujaji time to file opposing papers.
Mujaji several weeks ago invaded Locks Karori farm in the eastern Manicaland province and deployed armed soldiers at the farm who have prevented Lock and court messengers from entering the property to retrieve crops and other personal belonging of the farmer.
Locks lawyer, Happias Zhou, said: The judge (Justice Makarau) will hear oral evidence during the week beginning the 16th of November. We filed further affidavits to update the court as to what is happening since our last appearances. The other side did not have time to respond to our further affidavits.
The judge was of the view that it was not going to be easy to determine the matter on the affidavits. So she will need to hear oral evidence. My client did not get access to all the equipment and crops. So the further affidavits are to show that contempt is continuing. Top security commanders and senior members of President Robert Mugabes Zanu (PF) party have grabbed more land from whites in recent months ignoring pleas by Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai to stop farm seizures.
A letter by Tsvangirai last month to Defence Minister Emmerson Mnangagwa to stop Mujaji Zimbabwe Defence Forces director general of planning and programmes from invading Locks farm has been ignored the same way many other countless calls by the Premier for law and order on farms have gone unheeded.
Agricultural experts say farm invasions coupled with serious shortages of seed, fertilizer and other key inputs will derail plans by the Harare coalition government to increase food output and end hunger in the country.
Post published in: News