A leading Beitbridge citrus farmer has lost 15 000 orange trees inside one year after a top soldier invaded his farm, amid revelations that Zesa switched off electricity to the property under unclear circumstances leading to the destruction of 30 000, 30-year-old citrus and 10 000 mango trees of the same age.
BY STAFF REPORTER
The sabotage, aided by the police and the Ministry of Lands through their inaction over the past 13 months, would cost Ian Ferguson, a former government irrigation specialist, millions of dollars.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa and Lands and Resettlement minister Douglas Mombeshora have been made aware of army colonel Darlton Muleya’s illegal occupation of Benfer Estates, but they have not taken any action, documents seen by The Standard have revealed.
According to a letter written to the Lands ministry’s permanent secretary Grace Mutandiri by Ferguson’s son and copied to Mnangagwa and the minister, Mombeshora met the farmer’s family in November last year to discuss the situation at Benfer.
He had previously visited Benfer “with a view to involve investors for its expansion into oranges for export and to supply the Beitbridge Juicing Factory that manufactures Mazoe Orange.”
“The meeting took place at a time when the Beitbridge lands committee was targeting several farms in the district, including Benfer for compulsory acquisition.
“After our meeting, a Cabinet decision was made that no citrus farms were to be taken and were expressly considered, non-resettlement areas,” reads part of Ferguson’s letter dated December 5.
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“All of the offer letters for Benfer were cancelled in January of 2016.
“However, two of the offer letter holders — Darlton Muleya, a serving army colonel and N Nyathi — refused to leave the property and are still in occupation of the farm’s staff quarters.”
Some of the people who had their offer letters cancelled were Beitbridge chief lands officer Muthilisa Moyo, the district administrator Simon Muleya and two unnamed Central Intelligence Organisation agents.
Muleya has allegedly brought operations at the estate to a halt despite the fact that he does not have an offer letter for the property.
“During the year, Darlton Muleya has made his presence felt by threatening behaviour to anyone that dared to venture onto the part of the farm where his employees reside,” Ferguson said.
“On one occasion, the police enquired from Muthilisa Moyo as to the reason for Darlton’s continued occupation and he assured them that an appeal had been lodged with the Ministry of Lands and a new offer letter was imminent.”
Muleya has two criminal cases for allegedly removing an 18-metre diameter reservoir lining at the estate illegally and for abduction.
He allegedly kidnapped, tortured and threatened to shoot a cattle herder who dared venture onto the part of the estate he claims to own. Ferguson said the situation at the estate had been worsened by Zesa’s alleged collusion with the invaders.
“Since January this year, we have been in negotiations with Zesa who had turned off all power points in June 2015 when they heard that the offer letters had been issued and this with no notification or reference to us whatsoever,” he said.
“The termination of power was immediately after I was told verbally to vacate the farm by the district lands officer which does illustrate collusion between Zesa and the local lands office.
“Moyo said I should apply for an offer letter which I did, to which I have never received a response. I can only assume that Moyo never forwarded the application to the head office.”
He said potential investors were keen to restore power to the citrus orchard’s pump station, but would not do so as long as Muleya and Nyathi were at the estate.
“In the early part of 2015, Darlton and Nyathi after invading the property and evicting the company staff from their living quarters at the point of a rifle, applied to the Beitbridge magistrates court for an eviction order to evict us from Benfer,” the letter added.
“Our attorney opposed the application and the case was heard on December 30 2015. Their attorney did not attend or submit opposing heads of arguments other than to request a further postponement, which was denied.
“Our attorney argued for full costs and an eviction order against those still occupying the property and was granted both.
“Their attorney had intimated in very threatening letters that a high-powered minister, together with CIO officers had decided, so he claimed, to reinstate Darlton and others’ offer letters through the president’s office.”
He said employees at the estate were too terrified to venture into the area which Muleya claims to own as he allegedly threatens them with a gun.
Ferguson said the soldier appeared to be well-connected in Beitbridge as he once caused the arrest of a driver and farm manager on trumped up theft charges.
“Moyo told Darlton and others that everything that happened to be on the section of property they occupied was theirs to take, hence wholesale looting of all the cabling from the transformers connecting the pump stations and destruction of implements has taken place amounting to in the region of $160 000,” the letter says.
“The period of initial occupation and the 13-month delay in getting these people off with what would seem the collusion with Zesa has destroyed 30 000, 30-year-old citrus trees and 10 000 mango trees of the same age with loss amounting to millions of US dollars.”
He said a recent survey of the orchards on the section still occupied by the two people had shown that about 15 000 orange trees had died from drought, “but approximately 2 000 trees remain barely alive.”
“We are desperate to restore power, irrigate these trees and plant new orchards as soon as possible,” Ferguson said.
Last year, Mombeshora allegedly assured Ferguson that he would ask Home Affairs minister Ignatius Chombo to assist with Muleya’s eviction.
The minister was said to have shown interest in keeping the citrus estate alive and making room for expansion. Mombeshora was not available for comment yesterday.
