Political campaign behind Chinhoyi farm dispute

A long-running dispute over Dundrennam Farm in Chinhoyi has intensified, with the Bosman family alleging they are the targets of politically motivated attempts to force them off their land through occupations, litigation and criminal allegations.

The family says the conflict escalated after a group of people allegedly occupied part of the farm under the leadership of Thomas Chidzomba, a former Zanu-PF parliamentary candidate for Chinhoyi in the 2023 elections.

According to Brink Bosman, the occupiers remained on the property until a court ordered their eviction in April this year following a legal battle that lasted about a year.

At the same time, another legal dispute emerged involving Auther Bosman, who is facing eviction proceedings instituted by Tendai Musonza, the Mashonaland West spokesperson for the Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), over Subdivision Lot 6 of Zawi Farm in Makonde.

Bosman also said traditional leader Mambo Jeremiah Jenami has laid claim to part of Dundrennam Farm, arguing that a pool on the property is of ancestral significance and should be made available for traditional ceremonies.

"Dundrennam Farm is privately owned for commercial use," Bosman said.

The family further alleges that after efforts to remove them from the property through land occupations and legal action proved unsuccessful, attention shifted to the death of a young farm worker's son, Suarance Moffat, who died three years ago.

Bosman claims allegations linking him to the child's death only emerged after the farm occupation dispute intensified.

"Problems started when Chidzomba and his Zanu-PF colleagues came and occupied part of my farm and started raising unfounded claims and accusations about the death of Suarance," Bosman said.

"Chidzomba fabricated a murder charge against me to justify occupying a portion of my farm, to pressurize me into surrendering that portion of land."

According to Bosman, the original criminal investigation focused on tractor driver Douglas Zhanewo, who was charged with culpable homicide.

He said Zhanewo was acquitted in 2024 after the court found there was insufficient evidence to establish that the child had been run over by a tractor.

Bosman further claimed that subsequent investigations by the Criminal Investigation Department's Law and Order section in Harare found no evidence implicating him in the child's death.

"Due to allegations of corruption at the local level, CID Law and Order Harare investigated the allegations and found no evidence against me. The matter is now with the NPA," he said.

He also cited an independent investigation by Truth Diggers, which reportedly suggested an alternative sequence of events surrounding the child's death and alleged that local investigators failed to pursue certain leads.

Those allegations have not been independently verified, and no findings from a court have confirmed that account.

The matter is now before the National Prosecuting Authority of Zimbabwe, which will determine whether any further prosecution is warranted.

The allegations made by the Bosman family against Thomas Chidzomba and other individuals have not been tested in court, and no response from the named parties was included at the time of publication.