Grace Mugabe enlists cops in farm face-off

A LONG-RUNNING dispute between small-scale miners and former first lady Grace Mugabe erupted earlier this week when scores of them invaded a citrus farm she seized several years ago.

The once powerful Mugabe called on the police to evict informal gold miners from Smithfield, a farm in the Mazowe district, about 40km east of Harare.

The family occupies several farms in this district, several of which they seized from a largely black-owned public company about six years ago. In her statement to the police, Mugabe said: “On March 29 at around 11.30am I was touring my farm, Smithfield. When I arrived at Lemon Pool section, I was shocked to find a group of approximately 400 men illegally panning for gold.

“I then asked them to stop their activities since I am the owner of the farm and I am the holder of a special grant for the whole area.

“The crowd started to shout obscenities at me and continued with their unlawful activities and destroyed my irrigation infrastructure, and there is massive land degradation.”

Mugabe said the invasion was an indication she was being politically persecuted by the new government under President Emmerson Mnangagwa.

“Does it mean that if… Mnangagwa is removed from power tomorrow he will be dispossessed of his investments?”

This dispute began in 2013 when a few artisanal miners first invaded Smithfield farm and began digging for gold as thousands of others do, especially in the Mazowe district. Hearing the matter, the Harare High Court said it was not urgent and would be heard at a later date.