A Chinese businessman has dragged Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage Minister, Kazembe Kazembe to court after the latter failed to evict suspected war veterans who invaded his property in 2019.
The businessman, Xifeng Li is suing Kazembe jointly with Police Commissioner-General Godwin Matanga, Officer Commanding Harare province, Officer commanding Mbare district, Officer in Charge Southlea Park and Sheriff for Zimbabwe.
Li made an application at the High Court seeking an order compelling the respondents to provide security services to the Sheriff to eject some war veterans who have settled in his land.
The businessman approached the court on 28 August 2019 where an interdict was granted against the war veterans barring them from taking or occupying his land.
The land in dispute is in Stoneridge, Waterfalls measuring 20 2321 hectares.
Li deposed an affidavit through Innocent Taru. It reads in part:
Contrary to the import and essence of the consent order, the respondents, together with their invitees proceeded to unlawfully enter the land and apportion the same among themselves.
They also started constructing illegal structures in breach of Town and Country Planning laws as well as the Environmental Management Act, among other provisions of the law.
Their settlement, besides being an illegality, posed a time bomb from a public health perspective.
The development prompted Li to institute proceedings for eviction of the settlers and demolition of their illegal structures.
In October 2020, the court again granted an order for the eviction of the alleged war veterans prompting Li and his lawyers to instruct the Sheriff to execute the court order.
The sheriff told the businessman he could not do the execution without security from the police but that has allegedly been denied by the respondents.
Li said it became necessary for him to approach the court seeking an order to compel the ZRP to provide security personnel to the sheriff for him to perform his mandate.
The matter is yet to be heard.