×
NewsDay

AMH is an independent media house free from political ties or outside influence. We have four newspapers: The Zimbabwe Independent, a business weekly published every Friday, The Standard, a weekly published every Sunday, and Southern and NewsDay, our daily newspapers. Each has an online edition.

50 families evicted from Darwendale farm

Politics
AT least 50 families were left homeless after they were evicted from Dowend Farm and dumped by the roadside along the Inkomo Barracks-Darwendale Road on Saturday.

AT least 50 families were left homeless after they were evicted from Dowend Farm and dumped by the roadside along the Inkomo Barracks-Darwendale Road on Saturday.

BY NUNURAI JENA

farm-evictions-9

Fifty families were left homeless after they were evicted from Dowend Farm and dumped along Darwendale Road. Inset: An elderly woman sleeps in a makeshift shack after being evicted from the farm.
Fifty families were left homeless after they were evicted from Dowend Farm and dumped along Darwendale Road. Inset: An elderly woman sleeps in a makeshift shack after being evicted from the farm.

The families claimed they were evicted by a messenger of court, who stormed the farm in the company of riot police officers, accusing them of being illegal settlers on Enerst Chikambi’s property.

When NewsDay visited the farm in the afternoon, the victims, who comprised mostly women and children, were busy erecting shacks in preparation for the night, as they pondered on their next move.

“The police came in the company of a messenger of court only identified as Gatsi and farm owner Chikambi and started burning our houses without allowing us to remove our property. Most of our property and food was destroyed in the fire, leaving us without any food,” the victims’ spokesperson, MacDonald Chipembere said.

Chipembere said what irked them most is that Chikambi joined them in 2005 when they were already on the farm.

“He (Chikambi) claims to be a nephew of President Robert Mugabe and we now don’t doubt his claims considering how he was given the offer letter ahead of us in 2006,” he said.

Another evictee, Rosemary Muchado said: “I don’t know where to go. I was born and married here. My husband died 10 years ago … where do I go?” she asked, battling to contain her emotions.

Contacted for comment, Chikambi said he had given the affected families two years to vacate his farm, but they had ignored him.

“After I obtained an offer letter, I gave these people two years to look for alternative accommodation, but they thought I was joking. I won’t reverse my decision,”he said.

Mashonaland West provincial police spokesperson, Inspector Clemence Mabgweazara said he was unaware of the matter.