News / Local
Thousands evicted from Crest Breeders Farm
01 Aug 2022 at 06:38hrs | Views
THOUSANDS of Zanu-PF supporters were left stranded, and are now sleeping in the open, after they were evicted from Crest Breeders Farm in Harare South last Friday.
Caught up in the eviction emanating from a legal battle between Crest Breeders International and Langford Estates Private Limited, were former Crest Breeders employees who joined the poultry producer four decades ago.
When NewsDay visited the area, some of the evictees were still stranded and others had secured lodgings at nearby houses in Ushewokunze Phase Four. The lodgings cost US$20 per room.
The evictees claimed that the eviction was unfair since they only received notices on July 26.
"We were not fairly evicted because we were given short notice. We were told to leave in the morning and we thought they were joking. They came and removed us. No one was harmed but our property was destroyed," said Locadia Nyambo, a married woman living with two children.
"We don't have anywhere to go. We now live at my friend's house, but there is still no structure there," she said, adding that some senior Zanu-PF officials in the area visited them on Friday morning promising to assist them.
Another evictee Cardonia Zambezi, who joined Crest Breeders in 1996 said: "We slept outside. We have just found places to go and stay temporarily just to move away from this place because we don't know what will happen. The owners of the houses want US$20 for a person to secure a room. It's very difficult because I earn around US$1,50 everyday from sorting tobacco at Boka Auction Floors. My kids at Crest Breeders Primary School are not under the Basic Education Assistance Module."
Zambezi said she was surprised when they were evicted because Zanu-PF party leaders had approached their MP, Tongai Mnangagwa in efforts to stop the evictions.
"We listened to an audio where Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson Goodwill Masimirembwa said we were not supposed to be evicted. Lorries came with the messenger of court and anti-riot police. The group that came was led by a security officer who I only know as Munetsi."
Mike Kalonda alleged that Langform Estate wants to turn the whole farm into residential stands, which will cost US$25 000.
Efforts to get a comment from Langform Estate were fruitless.
Caught up in the eviction emanating from a legal battle between Crest Breeders International and Langford Estates Private Limited, were former Crest Breeders employees who joined the poultry producer four decades ago.
When NewsDay visited the area, some of the evictees were still stranded and others had secured lodgings at nearby houses in Ushewokunze Phase Four. The lodgings cost US$20 per room.
The evictees claimed that the eviction was unfair since they only received notices on July 26.
"We were not fairly evicted because we were given short notice. We were told to leave in the morning and we thought they were joking. They came and removed us. No one was harmed but our property was destroyed," said Locadia Nyambo, a married woman living with two children.
Another evictee Cardonia Zambezi, who joined Crest Breeders in 1996 said: "We slept outside. We have just found places to go and stay temporarily just to move away from this place because we don't know what will happen. The owners of the houses want US$20 for a person to secure a room. It's very difficult because I earn around US$1,50 everyday from sorting tobacco at Boka Auction Floors. My kids at Crest Breeders Primary School are not under the Basic Education Assistance Module."
Zambezi said she was surprised when they were evicted because Zanu-PF party leaders had approached their MP, Tongai Mnangagwa in efforts to stop the evictions.
"We listened to an audio where Zanu-PF Harare provincial chairperson Goodwill Masimirembwa said we were not supposed to be evicted. Lorries came with the messenger of court and anti-riot police. The group that came was led by a security officer who I only know as Munetsi."
Mike Kalonda alleged that Langform Estate wants to turn the whole farm into residential stands, which will cost US$25 000.
Efforts to get a comment from Langform Estate were fruitless.
Source - NewsDay Zimbabwe
