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Shuvai Mahofa's family faces eviction threat
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The family of the late Zanu-PF politician, Shuvai Mahofa, may soon be evicted from a farm she seized during Zimbabwe's land reform era, amid claims that Deputy Minister of Environment, Climate and Wildlife, John Paradza, is orchestrating a takeover under the guise of a youth empowerment project.
The property in dispute is located in Chatsworth and includes a large farmhouse, farmland, and tobacco barns that Mahofa had converted into Tariro Primary School. Mahofa, who died in 2017, was a staunch Zanu-PF loyalist and one of the party's most vocal figures during the land grabs.
Masvingo's Ward 7 councillor, Ticharwa Kagu, confirmed to the Masvingo Mirror that Paradza is behind the establishment of a purported youth gardening project on the farm. On Saturday, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) drilled a borehole at the homestead, intensifying concerns of an imminent takeover.
"Yes, the borehole was drilled on Saturday. It's part of the Honourable Member of Parliament's project under the Presidential Youth Programme," said Kagu. "Youths were told to identify a 1-hectare site for gardening, and the area near the homestead was selected."
Mahofa's daughter, Fungai Masendeke-Mahofa, is reportedly resisting the move and is said to have recently confronted Paradza over the matter. Efforts to obtain comment from Fungai were unsuccessful, and Paradza's phone was unreachable at the time of publication.
Sources familiar with the case claim the youth gardening initiative is a smokescreen for Paradza's eventual control of the property. "This is not about empowering youth. It's a land grab disguised as a development project," said a source who requested anonymity.
Kagu, however, claimed the farm being targeted—Lauder Farm—does not belong to Mahofa, but rather to the government. He said Mahofa's actual farm was Rancho, adjacent to Lauder. "She was only a caretaker at Lauder for close to 10 years," he said, adding that the borehole was drilled near a homestead currently occupied by government workers.
Still, allegations persist that Mahofa, using her political influence and through her late daughter Erita—who worked in the President's Office—had grabbed both Lauder and Rancho farms. She reportedly later parceled out parts of Lauder Farm to the community through Chief Serima while retaining a significant portion for herself.
Villagers allege that structures at the disputed Lauder homestead are being vandalised by individuals linked to Chief Serima. Meanwhile, some community members claim Mahofa held additional land, including a wildlife farm in Bikita and sugarcane plots in Chiredzi.
The escalating tensions reflect broader land tenure insecurity in post-land reform Zimbabwe, where political connections continue to dictate land ownership. Analysts say this case epitomises how land, often seized under nationalist rhetoric, remains a source of elite conflict and political maneuvering.
The property in dispute is located in Chatsworth and includes a large farmhouse, farmland, and tobacco barns that Mahofa had converted into Tariro Primary School. Mahofa, who died in 2017, was a staunch Zanu-PF loyalist and one of the party's most vocal figures during the land grabs.
Masvingo's Ward 7 councillor, Ticharwa Kagu, confirmed to the Masvingo Mirror that Paradza is behind the establishment of a purported youth gardening project on the farm. On Saturday, the Zimbabwe National Water Authority (ZINWA) drilled a borehole at the homestead, intensifying concerns of an imminent takeover.
"Yes, the borehole was drilled on Saturday. It's part of the Honourable Member of Parliament's project under the Presidential Youth Programme," said Kagu. "Youths were told to identify a 1-hectare site for gardening, and the area near the homestead was selected."
Mahofa's daughter, Fungai Masendeke-Mahofa, is reportedly resisting the move and is said to have recently confronted Paradza over the matter. Efforts to obtain comment from Fungai were unsuccessful, and Paradza's phone was unreachable at the time of publication.
Kagu, however, claimed the farm being targeted—Lauder Farm—does not belong to Mahofa, but rather to the government. He said Mahofa's actual farm was Rancho, adjacent to Lauder. "She was only a caretaker at Lauder for close to 10 years," he said, adding that the borehole was drilled near a homestead currently occupied by government workers.
Still, allegations persist that Mahofa, using her political influence and through her late daughter Erita—who worked in the President's Office—had grabbed both Lauder and Rancho farms. She reportedly later parceled out parts of Lauder Farm to the community through Chief Serima while retaining a significant portion for herself.
Villagers allege that structures at the disputed Lauder homestead are being vandalised by individuals linked to Chief Serima. Meanwhile, some community members claim Mahofa held additional land, including a wildlife farm in Bikita and sugarcane plots in Chiredzi.
The escalating tensions reflect broader land tenure insecurity in post-land reform Zimbabwe, where political connections continue to dictate land ownership. Analysts say this case epitomises how land, often seized under nationalist rhetoric, remains a source of elite conflict and political maneuvering.
Source - Mirror
