Msipa Jnr, who for the past years has been embroiled in a struggle for control of Lot J of Borrowdale Estate (Crowhill), is set to appear in court on November 28 to answer to charges of fraud.
He was supposed to have appeared in court on November 7 but absconded and a warrant of arrest was issued against him. A timely intervention by his defence team led to the cancellation of the warrant of arrest and a new trial date was set.
Msipa has since 2004 tried to evict beneficiaries of the land reform programme from Crowhill Farm claiming he legally owned it. However, it is the State’s case that Msipa unlawfully and with clear intent to defraud the State, misrepresented to one Joseph Munyanyi, an employee with the Ministry of Lands that he had a permit to acquire the estate.
It is also alleged that he went on to register the piece of land into his name with the Registrar of Companies using a fake permit. After making the false presentations, Msipa proceeded to develop the plot that had been allocated to two A2 model farmers.
According to the State outline, the piece of land was gazetted in 2003 and published in the Government Gazette for compulsory acquisition. The farm was deemed acquired as per schedule 7 of the constitution of Zimbabwe Amendment No. 17.
The state alleges Msipa has continued to interfere with farming operations of the A2 beneficiaries through pegging of housing stands, opening up of roads, quarrying, sand abstraction and cutting down of trees among other things.
The state also alleges Msipa’s actions are a prejudice to beneficiaries of the land reform programme.
