News / National
Toyi-toying residents invade Tsvangirai's advisor's farm
03 Sep 2012 at 03:57hrs | Views
THERE was drama when thousands of toyi-toying Rusape residents invaded Zimati Kop Farm and parceled themselves residential stands in a spirited resistance to moves by its alleged owner, Mr Norman Sachikonye to turn the 1 115-hectare land into a plush suburb, charging $24 000 per plot.
Mr Sachikonye, an advisor to Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was last Thursday locked up in a series of meetings with the law enforcement agents to impress on them to remove the defiant residents from his property.
Zimati Kop is a kilometre from the Wedza Turn-off towards Mutare.
The police, President's Office, Rusape Residents and Ratepayers Association, District Administrator, Rusape Town Council, Makoni Rural District Council and officials from the Ministry of Lands met to try and find a solution to the impasse.
Superintendent (Crime) Alfred Kasingarirwi chaired the meeting, which agreed to disperse the invaders to allow a committee that was set up to probe the true ownership of the farm to carry out its investigations.
"According to the law of this country, nobody has a right to invade any piece of land and allocate themselves stands to build. The Rusape Residents and Ratepayers Association, which mobilised people to move into that farm, should call off the invasion to allow an investigation into areas of concern they have raised. As things stand, and unless proven otherwise, Mr Sachikonye is the owner of that farm," said Supt Kasingarirwi.
The more than 3 000 residents vacated the property last Friday, but vowed to return if their grievances were not addressed.
They want the farm to be surrendered to the Rusape Town Council so that they can access the stands at affordable prices.
Mr Sachikonye through his Diagonal Investments (Pvt) Ltd had intended to develop Zimati Kop into an affluent Ridgemont Park.
Zimati Kop is larger than the current size of Rusape, and about 4 700 stands, measuring 6, 25 acres have been pegged. Each stand costs $24 000, spread over 36 months, which the residents argue was beyond their reach.
The proposed Ridgemont Park has a provision for three primary schools, one secondary school, a hotel, chalets, a truck inn, a vocational training centre, heavy and light industries.
Mr Sachikonye hired the former Rusape Town Council, Engineer Givemore Chibongore, to spearhead the development.
The Rusape Town Council, which is also eyeing the same farm for urban expansion is querying how Mr Sachikonye acquired the farm and has wowed not to bless the proposed development.
The council declared "its interest in Zimati Kop for urban expansion" way back in 1995.
RRRA chairperson, Mr Martin Chaburumunda, who organised the invasion alongside Mr Lovemore Madhiziyao and war veterans' leader, Cde Mike Makiweni, accused Mr Sachikonye of turning the land that should be under the local authority into a gold mine.
"It was the people's initiative. Those who participated in the raid saw it worthy, and they sent a clear message that they were hungry for residential stands and were not in agreement with whatever Mr Sachikonye is doing there. It is unfair for one person to turn that land into a personal gold mine," said Mr Chaburumunda.
Cde Makiweni said the documents that Mr Sachikonye was using to claim ownership of the farm were suspect.
"Mr Sachikonye is playing tricks, and wants to benefit at the expense of thousands of landless people. His documents are suspect. In 1995, the then Rusape town secretary Mr Chiridza wrote to the Ministry of Local Government expressing an interest in that farm and a follow-up was made in 1997. Successive RTC administrations have been pursuing the matter. As a result, Zimati Kop was gazetted on January 3, 1997, but owing to a mix-up in dates, the gazette was nullified, prompting its re-gazetting on November 27, 2001," said Cde Makiweni.
Then the farm belonged to the late Ms Elizabeth Helena Marshal, whose estate was transferred to Mr Kenneth Charles Ziehl on April 29, 1999.
Mr Sachikonye allegedly acquired the farm from Mr Ziehl for Z$200 million in 1999 and claimed to have been given the title deeds and supporting documents from the ministries of Lands and Local Government to carry out proposed developments.
"I am the legitimate owner of Zimati Farm. I have title deeds. I have the necessary and required documents that permit us to create a township at my land. I bought the farm in 1999 and paid for it in 2001. The title deeds were issued in 2010," he said.
Mr Sachikonye said he had a certificate of no present interest issued by the Ministry of Lands, valid for 12 months, dated June, 01, 2010. The title deeds were allegedly issued to him two months later on August 5, 2010. Cde Makiweni argued that Mr Sachikonye duped officials from the ministry of lands into believing that he acquired the farm in 1995.
"Our concerns are genuine, we are saying there was an interest from 1995 and the same interest is still in effect to date. In fact, current circumstances are warranting the takeover of the farm by the Rusape Town council, under whose master plan it falls. When we occupied Zimati Kop in 2000, we were evicted after being told that it was reserved for urban expansion together with Rockingstone Farm," said Cde Makiweni.
The acting Rusape Town Council secretary, Mr Darlighton Museka, said Zimati Kop was in their master plan and reserved for the town's expansion.
"Rusape has no land for its expansion and we are targeting Zimati Kop which was reserved for our expansion purposes. This is the right time to explore it, but Mr Sachikonye is telling us he owns it. That is not correct at all because that farm was gazzetted for land reform programme in 2001after we had expressed an interest in 1995.
"Whatever developments earmarked there have not been blessed by the RTC because they are working with Makoni Rural District Council. Mr Sachikonye approached us for civic services. He has circumvented us because he knows that we are interested in the same piece of land. Currently, the council has run out of land and anyone who claims to posses land for development is misleading people. Stop buying the stands until the wrangle between us and Diagonal Investments is resolved," he said.
Mr Museka further said it was not wise and in the interests of the people to give private developers land that is equivalent to the whole of Rusape when more than 4 000 people are on the housing waiting list.
Mr Sachikonye, an advisor to Prime Minister, Mr Morgan Tsvangirai, was last Thursday locked up in a series of meetings with the law enforcement agents to impress on them to remove the defiant residents from his property.
Zimati Kop is a kilometre from the Wedza Turn-off towards Mutare.
The police, President's Office, Rusape Residents and Ratepayers Association, District Administrator, Rusape Town Council, Makoni Rural District Council and officials from the Ministry of Lands met to try and find a solution to the impasse.
Superintendent (Crime) Alfred Kasingarirwi chaired the meeting, which agreed to disperse the invaders to allow a committee that was set up to probe the true ownership of the farm to carry out its investigations.
"According to the law of this country, nobody has a right to invade any piece of land and allocate themselves stands to build. The Rusape Residents and Ratepayers Association, which mobilised people to move into that farm, should call off the invasion to allow an investigation into areas of concern they have raised. As things stand, and unless proven otherwise, Mr Sachikonye is the owner of that farm," said Supt Kasingarirwi.
The more than 3 000 residents vacated the property last Friday, but vowed to return if their grievances were not addressed.
They want the farm to be surrendered to the Rusape Town Council so that they can access the stands at affordable prices.
Mr Sachikonye through his Diagonal Investments (Pvt) Ltd had intended to develop Zimati Kop into an affluent Ridgemont Park.
Zimati Kop is larger than the current size of Rusape, and about 4 700 stands, measuring 6, 25 acres have been pegged. Each stand costs $24 000, spread over 36 months, which the residents argue was beyond their reach.
The proposed Ridgemont Park has a provision for three primary schools, one secondary school, a hotel, chalets, a truck inn, a vocational training centre, heavy and light industries.
Mr Sachikonye hired the former Rusape Town Council, Engineer Givemore Chibongore, to spearhead the development.
The Rusape Town Council, which is also eyeing the same farm for urban expansion is querying how Mr Sachikonye acquired the farm and has wowed not to bless the proposed development.
The council declared "its interest in Zimati Kop for urban expansion" way back in 1995.
RRRA chairperson, Mr Martin Chaburumunda, who organised the invasion alongside Mr Lovemore Madhiziyao and war veterans' leader, Cde Mike Makiweni, accused Mr Sachikonye of turning the land that should be under the local authority into a gold mine.
"It was the people's initiative. Those who participated in the raid saw it worthy, and they sent a clear message that they were hungry for residential stands and were not in agreement with whatever Mr Sachikonye is doing there. It is unfair for one person to turn that land into a personal gold mine," said Mr Chaburumunda.
Cde Makiweni said the documents that Mr Sachikonye was using to claim ownership of the farm were suspect.
"Mr Sachikonye is playing tricks, and wants to benefit at the expense of thousands of landless people. His documents are suspect. In 1995, the then Rusape town secretary Mr Chiridza wrote to the Ministry of Local Government expressing an interest in that farm and a follow-up was made in 1997. Successive RTC administrations have been pursuing the matter. As a result, Zimati Kop was gazetted on January 3, 1997, but owing to a mix-up in dates, the gazette was nullified, prompting its re-gazetting on November 27, 2001," said Cde Makiweni.
Then the farm belonged to the late Ms Elizabeth Helena Marshal, whose estate was transferred to Mr Kenneth Charles Ziehl on April 29, 1999.
Mr Sachikonye allegedly acquired the farm from Mr Ziehl for Z$200 million in 1999 and claimed to have been given the title deeds and supporting documents from the ministries of Lands and Local Government to carry out proposed developments.
"I am the legitimate owner of Zimati Farm. I have title deeds. I have the necessary and required documents that permit us to create a township at my land. I bought the farm in 1999 and paid for it in 2001. The title deeds were issued in 2010," he said.
Mr Sachikonye said he had a certificate of no present interest issued by the Ministry of Lands, valid for 12 months, dated June, 01, 2010. The title deeds were allegedly issued to him two months later on August 5, 2010. Cde Makiweni argued that Mr Sachikonye duped officials from the ministry of lands into believing that he acquired the farm in 1995.
"Our concerns are genuine, we are saying there was an interest from 1995 and the same interest is still in effect to date. In fact, current circumstances are warranting the takeover of the farm by the Rusape Town council, under whose master plan it falls. When we occupied Zimati Kop in 2000, we were evicted after being told that it was reserved for urban expansion together with Rockingstone Farm," said Cde Makiweni.
The acting Rusape Town Council secretary, Mr Darlighton Museka, said Zimati Kop was in their master plan and reserved for the town's expansion.
"Rusape has no land for its expansion and we are targeting Zimati Kop which was reserved for our expansion purposes. This is the right time to explore it, but Mr Sachikonye is telling us he owns it. That is not correct at all because that farm was gazzetted for land reform programme in 2001after we had expressed an interest in 1995.
"Whatever developments earmarked there have not been blessed by the RTC because they are working with Makoni Rural District Council. Mr Sachikonye approached us for civic services. He has circumvented us because he knows that we are interested in the same piece of land. Currently, the council has run out of land and anyone who claims to posses land for development is misleading people. Stop buying the stands until the wrangle between us and Diagonal Investments is resolved," he said.
Mr Museka further said it was not wise and in the interests of the people to give private developers land that is equivalent to the whole of Rusape when more than 4 000 people are on the housing waiting list.
Source - MP
