LIVINGSTONE MARUFU
Karoi-based farmer Garry Hobbs says he survived eviction from his farm last week after a call from higher office, Business Times can report.
Hobbs, who has an offer letter from the Ministry of Lands, was initially served an eviction order in November 2020, with the eviction notice following on March 30 2021.
The farmer and his family on Wednesday last week woke up to a team from the Sheriff’s Office accompanied by armed police officers to enforce the eviction order.
But the eviction order was thrown away.
“On Wednesday morning we just woke up with a dozen officers from the Zimbabwe Republic Police sheriff’s department who were ready to enforce a court order that was awarded to a ‘new landowner’ but following a phone call from the higher offices, the police who later shifted to boundary dispute later left for good with my property thrown everywhere,” Hobbs told Business Times.
The farmer was initially spared eviction during the land invasions in 2000 after he voluntarily surrendered a portion of his farm.
Commercial Farmers Union president Andrew Pascoe told Business Times that the government acted accordingly on Hobbs’ case.
“We commend the government with the way it acted on the Hobbs case, it respected property rights and respected his side of the story therefore the Karoi based farmer remains at his farm and is continuing with production.
“We would like the authorities to continue doing the same for the new cases that may arise in the near future,” Pascoe said.
Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services permanent secretary Nick Mangwana went on Twitter saying there was a farm boundary confusion and not an eviction.
“[Mr] Hobbs remains at his farm. He has not been evicted. The Second Republic stands for sanity on all farms and its policy is that all Agricultural Land should be used productively by beneficiaries,” Mangwana said.
“The boundary confusion that was obtained is being resolved by relevant authorities,” he added.
Critics say new land invasions will be a blow to the re-engagement drive by the President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration.
This comes at a time Zimbabwe is scurrying for resources to compensate former farmers displaced during the fast-track land reform exercise.
Under the Compensation Deed signed last year, Zimbabwe promised to pay US$3.5bn for biological assets and improvement to the former owners. Zimbabwe was supposed to pay US$1.75bn in July this year and the balance in four equal installments of US$437.5m.
The deadline to pay US$1.75bn has been pushed to next year as the government said it could not raise the amount due to the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic.
An economist who preferred anonymity told Business Times that the failure to bring land reform to finality is costing Zimbabwe dearly in attracting investment.
“It’s high time that the government takes the rise in land grabs and evictions seriously as the continued disruptions on farms will do harm in attracting investments in the country and reengagement efforts that the country is undertaking.
“To show that this administration is sincere about reengagement efforts and respects property rights they must honour the compensation deal and stop land grabs and evictions by the bigwigs,” he said.
Some analysts said that the ‘eviction’ was to pave the way for the occupation of the land by an unidentified senior ZANU PF official.
Tractors and other farm machinery were removed from Hobbs’ property while a removal truck was ready to ferry the farmer’s household furniture.
