Police clashed with over 1 000 ZANU PF youths in Goromonzi on Thursday over the invasion of Lyndhurst Farm.
Several of the youths were arrested by anti-riot police, NewsDay reported.
The ZANU PF youths who had been promised stands by some ruling party officials allegedly decided to invade, illegally peg and allocate the land to themselves after the party bosses started dragging their feet on the promise.
The farm, Lot 1 and Lot 2 of Lyndhurst Farm is reportedly owned by one Maxwell Muziwi, a former top State security officer, according to sources.
The farm is adjacent to Epworth.
Disturbances at the property started early this week when land barons linked to the party invaded the farm and started pegging stands, courting the anger of Epworth squatters who were eyeing the same land.
NewsDay visited the area yesterday and discovered that stands had been pegged with stones and plastics. A police officer who requested not to be identified spoke to NewsDay:
We came here in the morning as police and have been engaged in running battles with some people who were pegging stands at the farm.
Some Mbare people came first and squatters from Greenvalley, Pentagon and Epworth squatters were not happy because they felt that the land was supposed to be allocated to them. The invasion is just a political thing as we are going for elections.
National police spokesperson Assistant Commissioner Paul Nyathi said investigations were underway.
Over the years, ZANU PF party-linked land barons have been illegally parcelling out land to unsuspecting home seekers.
ZANU PF spokesperson Christopher Mutsvangwa in December 2022 dissociated the party from the land barons describing them as criminals abusing the party’s name.
ZANU PF has been accused of using land to get votes.
In 2022 ahead of the March by-elections, the ruling party promised to give title deeds to people who had illegally occupied land in Epworth.
The residents in Harare South were later evicted from the Crest Breeders International farm that they had invaded.
The Home Affairs minister, Kazembe Kazembe said the government was still committed to issuing the title deeds adding that it’s a process that takes time.