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Mliswa seeks court’s protection

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FORMER Hurungwe West MP Temba Mliswa has approached the High Court seeking the court’s intervention to evict Zanu PF activists who invaded his Spring Farm in Karoi last Wednesday taking over his restaurant, a service station, a lodge and farming equipment.

FORMER Hurungwe West MP Temba Mliswa has approached the High Court seeking the court’s intervention to evict Zanu PF activists who invaded his Spring Farm in Karoi last Wednesday taking over his restaurant, a service station, a lodge and farming equipment.

BY CHARLES LAITON

Mliswa filed an urgent chamber application for spoliation and an interdict against the party members last Thursday and the matter is set to be heard before High Court judge Justice Chinembiri Bhunu on Monday next week.

In the court application, through his lawyers, the former parliamentarian cited Nigel Murambiwa, Chinjayi Kambuzuma, Tapiwa Masenda, Silas Chimbiro, officer-in-charge Karoi Police Station and the Minister for Lands, Land Reform and Resettlement in the President’s Office as respondents.

“The applicant (Mliswa) has been deprived of control over his farming and other business operations at Spring Farm and the applicant cannot use or protect his farm equipment and all other belongings at the farm and the applicant cannot enter the homestead which has been taken over by the first to the fourth respondents (Murambiwa, Kambuzuma, Masenda and Chimbiro),” Mliswa said in his application.

“The applicant stands to suffer irreparable losses if he continues to be deprived of possession of his farm and all the immovable and movable property thereon as well as his crops which have reached harvesting stage. Applicant has no other remedy available to him offering similar or better protection.”

The former MP, who registered to stand as an independent candidate during the forthcoming June 10 Hurungwe West by-elections, said before the invaders pounced on his farm last week, he was in peaceful possession of his property.

According to court papers, upon their arrival at the farm, the Zanu PF activists ordered all patrons who were in the restaurant to leave and the staff to shut down all operations.

After locking the restaurant, the group is said to have proceeded to the lodge where they allegedly ordered all the clients that were booked for the night to leave the place.

Mliswa said the gang locked the lodge and proceeded to his house where they broke the locks at the gate and took occupation of the residence.

“As we speak, all 400 cattle at the farm remain locked up with no access to pasture,” Mliswa said.

He further said on the day in question, the four men took total control of the farm, stoned his driver’s motor vehicle, tore down his election campaign posters and replaced them with their own preferred candidate Keith Guzah

“. . . they (the respondents) continue to illegally occupy my farm and threaten violence against me, my family and anyone who dares get in their way with impunity,” he said.