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Mnangagwa's govt grabs Malunga family farm
14 Jun 2021 at 13:32hrs | Views
The Zimbabwean govt has grabbed a privately-owned farm belonging to the family of the late outspoken veteran nationalist Sydney Malunga, father to international human rights lawyer Siphosami Malunga, Open Society of Southern Africa director in Johannesburg, South Africa.
The Malunga family bought and improved the highly productive farm in Nyamandlovu near Bulawayo.
Informed govt sources say the move is clearly political and vindictive against the Malunga family which has always been outspoken on democracy, human rights and accountability issues.
By its own laws and policy, govt is not supposed to take farms from black Zimbabweans, especially those who bought the properties.
Apart from that, the farm was not gazetted for acquisition until 18 December 2020 after a frantic campaign by local politicians to seize it from the Malungas.
The Malunga family is going to challenge the seizure of the farm in court.
Writing on his Twitter account, Malunga said the Lands office in Bulawayo notified them Monday of the development but vowed they would fight it.
"Today we received a call from Mr Dodzi at the Lands Office in Bulawayo to tell us that the Zim Govt has acquired our privately owned farm and tomorrow they are coming to peg it and give it to people they have allocated it to," tweeted Malunga Monday afternoon.
"This isn't about land reform and we will fight it in every way."
"Aquisistion must be challenged pronto. Was there not a statutory instrument a few years back in terms of which acquired farms previously owned by black Zimbabweans were to be returned," Siphosami Malunga said.
Besides the move being unlawful, it is a vicious and determined assault on property rights and the rule of law, among other constitutional imperatives.
Trampling on property rights has helped destroy the Zimbabwean economy and create a crisis that has lasted over two decades.
Zimbabwe launched sweeping, chaotic and violent land grabs from 2000 under the president Robert Mugabe which displaced 4 500 white commercial and thousands of black farm workers, while wrecking agriculture and precipitating a major collapse of sustainable farming and the economy.
More to follow...
The Malunga family bought and improved the highly productive farm in Nyamandlovu near Bulawayo.
Informed govt sources say the move is clearly political and vindictive against the Malunga family which has always been outspoken on democracy, human rights and accountability issues.
By its own laws and policy, govt is not supposed to take farms from black Zimbabweans, especially those who bought the properties.
Apart from that, the farm was not gazetted for acquisition until 18 December 2020 after a frantic campaign by local politicians to seize it from the Malungas.
The Malunga family is going to challenge the seizure of the farm in court.
Writing on his Twitter account, Malunga said the Lands office in Bulawayo notified them Monday of the development but vowed they would fight it.
"This isn't about land reform and we will fight it in every way."
"Aquisistion must be challenged pronto. Was there not a statutory instrument a few years back in terms of which acquired farms previously owned by black Zimbabweans were to be returned," Siphosami Malunga said.
Today we received a call from Mr. Dodzi at the Lands Office in Bulawayo to tell us that the Zim Govt has acquired our privately owned farm & tomorrow they are coming peg it & give it to people they have allocated it to.This isnt about land reform & we will fight it in every way. pic.twitter.com/w7Nzmypi3o
— Siphosami Malunga (@SiphoMalunga) June 14, 2021
Besides the move being unlawful, it is a vicious and determined assault on property rights and the rule of law, among other constitutional imperatives.
Trampling on property rights has helped destroy the Zimbabwean economy and create a crisis that has lasted over two decades.
Zimbabwe launched sweeping, chaotic and violent land grabs from 2000 under the president Robert Mugabe which displaced 4 500 white commercial and thousands of black farm workers, while wrecking agriculture and precipitating a major collapse of sustainable farming and the economy.
More to follow...
Source - online
