War veteran faces eviction amid corruption scandal

Bernard Masendeke, a war veteran popularly known as "Shumba," is facing eviction from a farm he has occupied for nearly 20 years following a court order linked to a corruption scandal involving senior officials from the Lands ministry. Masendeke, who has been living on Sub Division 1, Dover Farm in Seke district since 2005, is one of many land reform beneficiaries hit by grand corruption schemes in Mashonaland East province.

The courts recently ruled that Masendeke was illegally occupying the land and ordered him to vacate it to make way for Edmore Kurwara, who reportedly gained control of the property through underhanded dealings. Investigations by Truth Diggers, an investigative journalism unit under Alpha Media Holdings, revealed that Kurwara allegedly paid between US$60,000 and US$80,000 to secure the 101-hectare farm.

Masendeke has approached Zanu PF officials and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) for help but has yet to receive meaningful intervention. Speaking about the looming eviction, he expressed distress, saying, "I was told to leave this place by the courts, but I have been occupying this farm for 20 years. It has been my home, and I have nowhere else to go."

Further investigations revealed that the eviction may be part of a larger scheme orchestrated by a syndicate within the Lands ministry. Corruption is reportedly rampant in Seke district, with rich and politically connected individuals from Harare taking over land initially allocated to ordinary farmers under the land reform program. Sub Division 1 and other sub-divisions at Dover Farm have been earmarked for reassignment to powerful figures, including senior members of the Central Intelligence Organisation and the Medical and Dental Private Practitioners of Zimbabwe Association (MDPPZA).

Sources within the ministry claim that officials in charge of land allocation have deliberately delayed implementing government orders, allowing money to exchange hands and new occupants to illegally take over. Seke district resettlement officer Clara Makumbe is alleged to have been involved in these corrupt dealings, reportedly receiving substantial bribes to facilitate the handover of land.

The Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission has been notified of the case, with Masendeke submitting an affidavit detailing the alleged corruption. He quoted Kurwara as saying, "Move away from my plot... Sub-Division 1 of Dover Farm belongs to me."

Government officials, including Mashonaland East Provincial Affairs Minister Apollonia Munzverengwi and Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water, and Rural Development Permanent Secretary Obert Jiri, have acknowledged the widespread issue of corruption within the land allocation process. Jiri noted that the ministry is working with ZACC and law enforcement agencies to tackle the problem, but many cases remain unresolved.

The situation in Seke district highlights the broader issue of corruption in Zimbabwe's land sector, which has been plagued by illegal land deals and the allocation of multiple farms to politically connected individuals. Despite promises from the government to address these issues, evictions continue to target ordinary citizens, leaving land barons linked to the ruling Zanu PF party largely untouched.

As the deadline for Masendeke's eviction looms, he and many others in Seke district face an uncertain future, with little hope of reclaiming the land they have called home for years.