MASVINGO - War veterans and others who invaded Chikore Farm have appeared in court on charges of illegally settling on the land.
The case, which involves 50 people, adds a new dimension to the disputes over farm ownership between the war vets and the minister for higher and tertiary education, Stan Mudenge. Mudenge, who says he has a right to the land, did not appear in court. The accused, who werent asked to plead, were remanded on free bail until May 27. The court was challenged by the defendants representative, Tongai Matutu of Matutu, Kwirira and Associates, to bring Mudenge to trial, claiming he did not legally own the land.
The Attorney-General has demanded proof that Mudenge is the legal owner, which has left the Ministry of Lands with the job of finding evidence of his entitlement. Mudenge has been trying for 10 years to get the invaders off the land. The State alleges that the farm occupiers illegally settled on the gazetted land without authority between August 2006 and December 2010. Meanwhile, the civil case being brought by the 50 people against Mudenges claims has been postponed until the outcome of the criminal trial is decided. The case has an ironic twist in that Mudenge enlisted the help of the war veterans at the height of the land grab to remove the farmer Robert Buchan.
They managed to evict Buchan, but then Mudenge wanted rid of the war vets too. He recently hired Zanu (PF) youths to try to bully the invaders, but to no avail. A spokesperson for the farm invaders, Robson Kandukutu, claimed they had been hounded by the police and by the Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) over the last 10 years. He accused Mudenge of paying state security agents to intimidate them. Mudenge doesnt actually live at Chikore Farm. The land, which once produced vegetables, tomatoes, maize and wheat, as well as flowers for export, now stands mainly barren. The flower growing areas have been vandalised and only a small proportion of the land is being cultivated.
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