The ManicaPost
Cletus Mushanawani News Editor
CHIEF Tandi, Mr William Samhungu, has called on the relevant authorities to reign in Deputy Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Cde Chris Chingosho for supporting some white farmers who are resisting eviction in his Headlands constituency.
Cde Chingosho last Saturday drove to Lesbury Estate where a white farmer, Robert Smart is resisting eviction from the farm which was gazetted and allocated to Bishop Trevor Manhanga, Chief Tandi and Mr David Nyakonda and confronted Mr Charles Mujati who was left in charge of Smart’s property following his eviction by the Deputy Sheriff of the High Court last week.
Mr Mujati who is also Chief Tandi’s aide confirmed Cde Chingosho’s visit last Saturday in a telephone interview from Headlands on Wednesday afternoon.
“Chingosho stormed this place last Saturday and forcibly opened the gate. He confronted me and asked me why I was disturbing Smart. He was in the company of a mob of about 80 people. I challenged him to explain why he was being double-faced, purporting to be supporting the land reform programme and at the same time protecting those defying the law like Smart.
“When he realised that I was standing my ground, he changed the subject and said he was not against the resettlement of Chief Tandi, but was against the allocation of land to Bishop Manhanga and Mr Nyakonda. He said Lesbury Estate belongs to the people of Tandi only. He left when I threatened to phone the police,” said Mr Mujati.
Despite being evicted from the farm, Mr Mujati said Smart visited Lesbury Estate on Tuesday purporting to be looking for his cats that were left behind.
In a separate interview, Chief Tandi, said it was shocking that some legislators who purport to be behind Government programmes were at the forefront frustrating them.
“It is not a secret that Chingosho has tried every trick in the book to protect Smart. He was written letters to various offices including the Rusape Magistrates’ Court and Ministry of Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement pleading with the authorities to spare Smart. This farm was gazetted in 2001 and I was given my offer letter in 2014.
“In short, Chingosho is a snake in the house and the relevant authorities should deal with him.
“As the chief, I am the custodian of this land and I don’t know where the MP is getting the power to deny me what rightfully belongs to me,” he said.
Repeated efforts to get a comment from Cde Chingosho were fruitless since Tuesday as his given two mobile numbers 0713794015 and 0776235224 were not reachable, while his secretary at the Ministry of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing who answered the given 04-794628 number said he did not report for duty on Tuesday and when phoned again on Wednesday, she said he was not yet in the office and would phone this reporter when he comes in. She had not done so at the time of going to Press.
However, in a recorded telephone conversation Cde Chingosho had with a Mutare-based journalist recently, he is heard inviting the journalist to cover villagers, farm workers and the white farmers booting out some of the new beneficiaries of the land reform programme among them Bishop Manhanga, Cde Dakarai Mapuranga, Chief Makoni and Professor Francis Gudyanga.
He went on to promise the journalist fuel for him to extensively cover the lawlessness as it unfolds on the farms.
Bishop Manhanga was allocated 100 hectares of Lesbury on March 20, 2015 under the Phase Two of the Land Reform and Resettlement Programme.
Last year, Cde Chingosho tried to use his office to stop a Rusape magistrate from presiding over Smart’s case.
However, the then Rusape magistrate, Mr Shingi Mutiro convicted Smart of contravening Section 3 (4) of the Gazetted Land (Consequential Provisions) Act, Chapter 20:28. He was fined $300 or two months imprison. He was ordered to vacate Lesbury Estate by March 31, 2017.
Smart went on to lodge a High Court challenge which was heard by Justice Chitakunye on April 26, 2017.
In his ruling, Justice Chitakunye said: “It is ordered by consent that the applicant (Smart) vacate subdivision 2 of Lesbury Estate in Makoni District in Manicaland on or before the 31st of May 2017, failing which the sheriff or his lawful deputy may evict the applicant and all those claiming occupation through him. Both parties shall maintain peace towards each other. The applicant shall pay the fifth respondent’s agreed costs.”
Following Justice Chitakunye’s ruling, a writ of ejectment was issued by the High Court on June 2, 2017.
When the police moved in to evict Smart last week, they were met with resistance from farm employees and hired villagers.
Bishop Manhanga said: “A lot of stories have been written about me, but I am just following the due process of the law. All the necessary documents which show that Lesbury Estate was gazetted for resettlement are there.
“When police moved in to evict Smart last week, I was not there as I was attending a board meeting in Harare. Police were just enforcing a High Court order. Smart last year claimed that he had planted tobacco on the farm and we allowed him to wrap up his operations,” he said.
On issues raised by Mr Peter Tandi that Bishop Manhanga’s occupation of the farm would violate their traditional shrines, the clergy said: “I am not occupying just a part of the estate. I have no problem with anyone following their spiritual desires. Our constitution grants the freedom of worship.
“The Tandi people are free to come and do their rituals as they used to do. I am only occupying arable land and I have no intention of planting maize in mountains. It is all false that I want to desecrate the graves on the farm. I never said I want to build a church there,” said Bishop Manhanga.
