Human Rights activist and the executive director of the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA), Siphosami Malunga has said former Mines Minister, Obert Mpofu has invaded Esidakeni Farm.
Malunga says Mpofu who is the current Secretary for Administration in the ruling ZANU PF, sent his sons to the contentious farm also known as Kershelmar Farm in Nyamandlovu, Matabeleland North Province, and they chased away farmworkers. Said Malunga:
I just received a message from my partner Zeph Dhlamini at Esidakeni. @DrObertMpofu sent his son & scores of people there. They are ploughing our fields. They chased our workers from the irrigation points & threatened them against taking pictures. This is what Zimbabwe has become.
We will defend our rights. We will evict him & his people and we will not rest until he answers for his corrupt and criminal abuse of power and authority. We know we are not his only victims. How does @ZANUPF_Official allow and justify this?
So this was the cowardly threat he was making: to invade our farm. Our fathers and other liberation heroes are surely turning in their graves. But we will fight @DrObertMpofu. He does not intimidate us.
Malunga co-owns Esidakeni with businessman Charles Moyo and Zephania Dhlamini, after acquiring it in 2017 from Barry Brice, David Power and Jeffrey Swindells. Kershelmar owns the coveted former dairy farm.
However, in a state gazette, Lands minister Anxious Masuka said the farm was compulsory acquired under section 72(2) of the country’s constitution.
According to an offer letter dated 30 June 2021, Masuka allocated 145 hectares of the farm to Mpofu’s company Mswelangubo Farm.
Part of the land was also allocated to Dumisani Madzivanyati a Bulawayo businessman and NUST lecturer who was recently ordered by the High Court to stop interfering with the farm operations at Esidakeni.
Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) co-deputy director-general Gatsha Mzithulela and CIO operative Reason Mpofu have been identified as the other people behind the farm seizure.