Losing Zanu PF candidate parcels out CFI land
By Helen Kadirire
Listed agro group CFI Holdings Limited (CFI)’s Harare South property has been seized by a Zanu PF apparatchik who is parceling out the land illegally at $30 for 300 square metres.
CFI Holding company secretary Panganayi Hare told the Daily News they have reported the invader— losing Zanu PF council aspirant Michael Mutandwa to the police, but to no avail.
Efforts to reach Mutandwa were futile yesterday.
“We have a court order compelling him to stop parcelling out our land but he has instead continued aggressively. The last time the Deputy Sheriff was sent to stop the invasions, he was heavily assaulted by the thugs. Even if we report the matter to the police, they are not acting on it,” a distraught Hare said yesterday.
CFI Holdings Limited’s principal activities include letting of properties; production and sale of fresh produce; wholesaling and retailing of consumer goods; manufacture of stock feeds; provision of animal health requisites; operation of maize and wheat mills; poultry breeding, production, processing and selling, and development and management of real estate.
According to documents at hand, the Local Government ministry has confirmed that the land belongs to CFI in a May 9, 2018 letter.
“May you please be advised that Lot of the Rest has not been acquired and handed over to the ministry of Local government, Public Works and National Housing by the land acquiring authority which is the ministry of Lands, Agriculture and Rural Resettlement.
“Since we have no jurisdiction over the land, the ministry of Local government, Public Works and National Housing never allocated the land to anyone. To our knowledge, it is private property belonging to Crest Breeders International (Pvt) Limited as per Deed 2100/87,” the ministry of Local Government said.
Documents seen by the Daily News show correspondence from the Sheriff saying the matter was difficult to deal with since it was political.
The police have seemly washed their hands off the case.
“In our view, we feel it is imperative the ejectment of Michael Mutandwa be effected with the assistance and protection of Zimbabwe Republic Police Support Unit and PRG at any given time — not with duty-branch officers as was the case previous,” read the deputy sheriff’s letter.
When the Daily News crew arrived in the area adjacent to Glen View 7, small trucks filled with farm bricks were offloading on the sites.
One of the recipients of the stands said they had paid $15 and was told to start construction in five days or risk having the stand given to someone else.
“This is State land that Mutandwa promised us a long time ago and now he is living up to his promise. We have already begun making our bricks and they will be moving in at any time. He said he will protect us in the event that anyone wants to evict us,” a woman said, while starting a fire to clear the land.
The scuffle comes as Harare City Council is also battling to deal with land invaders and has since proposed to go to court to stop the invasions. –DailyNews
