Zanu PF secretary for administration, Obert Mpofu, has “invaded” Esidakeni Farm in Zimbabwe’s Nyamandlovu district, Matabeleland North, owned by a son of a national hero and his business partners.
In a series of tweets, Siphosami Malunga, the son of the late PF Zapu stalwart Sydney Malunga, Mpofu’s workers invaded the farm on Friday and started ploughing a certain piece of land at Esidakeni, which they bought a couple of years ago from the previous owner of the farm.
Malunga said, “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 @Dr.ObertMpofu. He does not intimidate us.”
Dhlamini, who co-owns the farm with Malunga and businessman, Charles Moyo, confirmed the “invasion”, noting that Mpofu’s workers have started tilling the land where they wanted to plant onions.
“They are at the farm right now ploughing a certain section. They told our workers not to interfere with their operations,” said Dhlamini.
Mpofu confirmed that he has sent his workers to Esidakeni where the Ministry of Lands offered him a piece of land.