Vice President Mujuru's Husband Loses Seized Farm In 'Jambanja'

Don't you love it when there are stories of ZANU PF fighting amongst themselves?

And, in this case, it will be interesting to see if any of Mugabe's 'big guns' side with Mujuru, or whether they have been instructed to keep a low profile. Much will be revealed as this case unfolds.

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"Powerful ZANU PF politiburo member retired army General Solomon Mujuru has been kicked off a farm in Nyanga after a business partner clandestinely obtained an offer letter from government and mobilised war veterans to assist him seize the property.

Mujuru is now battling to wrest control of the property from Edward Buwu at the High Court in Harare. This is a test case for the state as government has categorically stated that cases to do with the land cannot be dealt with in court. Hundreds of white farmers have lost properties to new farmers with offer letters despite court orders barring new occupiers from taking the land.

Mujuru and businessman Edward Mashingaidze, through their company Snaptop, partnered with Buwu, Anthony Swire-Thompson and a consortium of other businessmen to invest in Lot 75, Inyanga Downs Farm in 2003.

The directors of the company are chairman Daniel Garwe, Buwu, Mujuru, Swire-Thompson and Mashingaidze. In 2003 the black businessmen invested in a project owned by Swire-Thompson as part of the farmers’ skills transfer to black farmers. The new consortium ceded 400 hectares to government for resettlement while retaining 265 hectares for a horticulture project.

Buwu has now obtained an offer letter for the 265 hectares, effectively kicking out the other shareholders. Garwe last week deposed an affidavit in a chamber application at the High Court, challenging the move."

Mujuru is attempting to use the powers of the High Court to overturn the clandestine move by Bawu - even though Mugabe's government has made it very clear that the High Court holds no power over the land grab...

Mujuru may be married to one of Mugabe's Vice Presidents, but that does not necessarily mean that Mugabe's government is about to be dictated to by either him or the High Court.

I do wonder how Mujuru himself feels about being the 'victim' of a 'jambanja', or how his wife feels now that she is caught 'twixt and between.

"However last month, a group of "riotous" war veterans who were chanting liberation war slogans took control of Inyanga Downs at the behest of Buwu who allegedly obtained an offer letter behind the other shareholders’ backs.

"While the partners were finding ways of making the business grow, respondent (Buwu) clandestinely applied for an offer letter in respect of the piece of land upon which applicant has been conducting its operations," said Garwe.

"I verily believe that he used the (political) connections that he has to get his offer letter processed as he knows so much about the farm and crucially knew that the piece of land involved had no formal beneficiary."

"Verily"? Strange language indeed...

"In the affidavit Garwe, accuses Buwu of acting in bad faith at a time when they thought they were all working together.

"On my part I did not suspect that anything untoward could happen to the investment particularly given that we have in our midst General Mujuru who is and seemed to be well-respected by the parties," said Garwe.

Garwe said security personnel deployed at the farm had denied directors of Inyanga Downs Holdings, including Mujuru, access to the farm.

"Security personnel have also been deployed on the farm with strict instructions not to allow any of the directors access to the farm. I have been denied such access," Garwe stated."

ZANU PF will increasingly fight amongst themselves as their greed knows no bounds.

Robb WJ Ellis

The Bearded Man