HARARE Former Media and Information Commission boss Tafataona Mahoso Mahoso, who visited Welverdien farm last October, has an offer letter for 200 hectares of the property. The latest sub-division of Bezuidenhouts farm is the second time that the farmer will cede land under the governments land reform programme after he gave up 133 hectares of his originally 533-hectare farm in November last year.
When the land was sub-divided last year provincial land officers told Bezuidenhout that no one would interfere with his property again. Asked why they were going back on last years promise, the officers simply said they were following orders. However the land officers told Mahoso that Bezuidenhout was to keep the section of the farm where he carries out his dairy operations, during a transaction that was not as acrimonious as we erroneously reported last week. In our report last Sunday we incorrectly stated that Mahoso stormed Welverdien farm accompanied by an army of land officers and that he gave the farmer 48 hours to leave.
According to Bezuidenhout: Mahoso did not arrive and give me 48 hours to leave the farm. I did not contact the police and ask for help as it was not needed. Meanwhile provincial land officers are expected to return to Welverdien farm to finalise demarcation of the property following a misunderstanding between Bezuidenhout and Mahoso after the former journalism lecturer had indicated he wanted the section where the farmer grows maize and sunflowers for his dairy cattle.
We apologise to Bezuidenhout, Mahoso and Manicaland provincial land officers for any inconveniences caused by the inaccuracies in our report last week.
While it is common cause that the fast-track land reform programme has largely been chaotic and often violent there are a few instances as appears to be the case with Welverdien farm where commercial farmers and new settlers have with assistance from land officers been able to amicably agree on how to share a property.
Post published in: News