Maravi

Zanu PF invades Bulawayo game park
May 16, 2013 in Land & Housing, National, News
Report by Staff reporter

Thirty-FIVE Zanu PF activists, who last month invaded a Bulawayo City Council nature reserve near Cowdray Park and partitioned it into stands, have been evicted.

In a letter dated May 7 addressed to Bulawayo mayor Thaba Moyo attached to confidential council minutes, town clerk Middleton Nyoni said the invaders, who settled in the reserve in April, had been evicted.

“On April 24, 2013, council was advised of the above land invasion, as Mazwi Nature Park is council property under the care of the City of Kings Business Ventures,” Nyoni wrote.

“We have been advised by the management of City of Kings Business Ventures that the group that invaded Mazwi Nature Park was evicted by the Zimbabwe Republic Police.

“They have not returned to the farm since their eviction. The situation at the nature park is back to normal.”

On April 24, Nyoni forwarded a letter written to him by the general manager of City of Kings Business Ventures, Moses Munthali, that the Zanu PF activists had invaded the nature reserve and allocated themselves stands.

Munthali, in the letter, said after hearing of the invasion, he took along with him members of the reserve’s management and reported the matter to Pumula Police Station where the officer-in-charge seconded five police officers to investigate the matter.

He said upon arrival at the reserve, they found Dan Ncube clearing the land with his wife and told them that the invasion was an initiative of the Zanu PF Cowdray Park ward executive structure.

Ncube reportedly said beneficiaries, all from Cowdray Park, “had been briefed that the property was a council game park to which the party now had authority to allocate residential stands”.

“. . . stand beneficiaries had been brought by a lorry on April 21, 35 stands, each measuring 75 metres by 300 metres, within the game park, were pegged and allocated,” reads the letter.

Munthali said in the letter they learnt that the initiative was an ongoing exercise and other allocations would be made the following week.

The council letter also reveals the list of beneficiaries at the game reserve was compiled by a Mr Hovedzo, who is on the lands committee of the Zanu PF Cowdray Park ward executive structure.

The stands were reportedly allocated by a Mabadza, who is the secretary of the Zanu PF Cowdray Park ward executive, who had allocated himself the entry gate house.

Bulawayo provincial police spokesperson Inspector Mandlenkosi Moyo yesterday said he did not have any information on the matter. Zanu PF Bulawayo chairperson Calistus Ndlovu could not be reached on his mobile phone.

posted by MrK @ 2:55 PM