AS President Robert Mugabe prepares to host Sadc leaders tomorrow, concerned citizens are circulating an online petition calling on the regional leaders to stop the deputy chief secretary to the President and Cabinet Ray Ndhlukula from grabbing a white-owned farm in Figtree, Matabeleland South.
NQOBANI NDLOVU STAFF REPORTER
The petition will be delivered to Sadc leaders and diplomats attending the regional summit in Victoria Falls, which starts tomorrow.
Ndhlukula is the chairman of the Sadc steering committee on the upcoming summit and is on the verge of grabbing Centenary Farm owned by David Connolly despite a High Court order barring him from occupying the farm.
Last week, Ndhlukula ejected about 75 people from the farm comprising Connolly’s workers and their dependants in fragrant defiance of the High Court.
The President’s deputy chief secretary has reportedly said he does not respect the court order because Chief Justice Godfrey Chidyausiku has ruled that whites could not appear in court on land disputes.
“We the undersigned strongly urge Sadc leaders to condemn lawless, self-help evictions of people from their homes especially by senior officials in the inner circle like Dr Ndhlukula in Zimbabwe and we ask that human rights, the rule of law and property rights be re-established in Zimbabwe as per international law,” the petition reads in part.
“This is a petition to protect Tymon Sibanda’s job [at Centenary Farm] and home, as well as the other 75 employees and families from Centenary Farm, and help stop the madness by beginning to add real value to the Zimbabwe economy. It is essential for democracy and prosperity that we insist the Zimbabwe government lead well and respect the courts, respect property rights and respect the right for all races to be treated equally. If they don’t, they are clearly not fit to lead Sadc.”
