The feud between Mashonaland Central Provincial Minister Monica Mavhunga and the former First Lady, Grace Mugabe’s sister, Rosemary Chidhakwa has escalated after the minister counter-sued the latter at the High Court.
Chidhakwa was the first to approach the courts recently accusing Mavhunga, and her workers of invading her farm and disrupting winter wheat cropping currently underway.
She complained the minister’s actions were unlawful as there was a court order issued this year interdicting Mavhunga against illegally occupying the farm – Subdivision 1 Farm 25 of Glendale, Mazowe, Mashonaland Central.
In her counter application, Mavhunga told the court that in November 2020, the Lands Ministry offered her subdivision of the same piece of land.
“The effect of the aforementioned subdivision was that a new plot was created namely subdivision 2 of Farm 25 of Glendale measuring 262.435 hectares,” the minister wrote in her court application.
She told the court that two parties were shown physical boundaries in the presence of their lawyers and accused Chidhakwa of illegally intending to grab her land.
“The defendant has failed, refused, and or neglected to vacate the said premises in order to give plaintiff vacant possession of subdivision 2,” she wrote in her declaration.”
The minister is demanding an order ejecting Chidhakwa and her employees from the land as she was granted rights over the subdivision before she was given an offer letter.
On the other hand, Chidhakwa claims Mavhunga invaded her land and occupied the main farmhouse after evicting her manager who lived there.
In her court papers, Chidhakwa said Lands Minister Anxious Masuka gave orders to officials from the Lands Ministry to order Chidhakwa’s manager to vacate the farm within three days.
“Mavhunga’s employees against a court order HC2019/21 returned to occupy the farm and took occupation of a farmhouse used by Chidhakwa’s manager and declared to share the lodgings,” read the court papers.
Chidhakwa said if Mavhunga was not removed immediately from the farm she was set to lose out financially as she had a winter crop under irrigation.
The full hearing of the matter is pending.