Nyabira, Zimbabwe – Zimbabwe police have arrested a black farmer, Cosmas Washayanyika whose 172 hectare farm is being illegally taken by a well connected white businesswoman Carol Gordon.
The take-over of the Lea farm in Nyabira from Washayanyika in unclear circumstances has led to people commenting on social media that the land reforms that removed minority white commercial farmers to resettle landless blacks in the early 2000s is slowly being reversed.
”Carol Gordon is a tailor who has been taking land from black farmers using joint ventures until totally owing it for years. She and her friends are in possession of over 3000ha in what they now term a white farming community. Now she is after just 178ha of land of her only black neighbour farmer,” Linda Masarira, a politician and activists said on X.
”Who is the power behind her? Who is she who instructs the police and gives command to the resident Minister Mashonaland West???”
However, the police said Washayanyika was arrested for assaulting police officers.
”The correct position is that the case falls under the purview of Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development who have legally withdrawn the offer letter issued to Cosmas Washayanyika. Therefore, any complaints or quiries should be directed to the relevant ministry,” police said.
”Cosmas Washayanyika and five others were arrested by the Zimbabwe Republic Police for assaulting and kidnapping police officers.”
”The police are only coming in to maintain law and order while the relevant ministry is resolving all the land contestations.”
Zimbabwe land reforms began in the early 2000s when the late former president Robert Mugabe embarked on violent land reforms he said were to correct historical land imbalances that favoured whites.
But in the past years some white farms have been getting back pockets of land shocking black Zimbabweans who thought the land reforms were irreversible.
Several white people that include Kirsty Coventry, a former white sports Minister was allocated land when she was appointed minister.
Recently a group of war veterans won a court order barring Billy Rautenbach from taking their land in Goromonzi after government had allocated the powerful businessman the land.
Rautenbach is close to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
In the past years the government wanted to evict thousands of Chilonga people in Chiredzi to pave way for a lucerne grass project, the people protested the eviction.