Kirsty Coventry in farm grab

YOUTH, Sport, Arts and Recreation minister Kirsty Coventry is in the eye of a storm after she allegedly grabbed the farm of the late former President Robert Mugabe’s nephew, Robert Zhuwao, in Darwendale.

Zhuwao has filed an urgent High Court chamber application seeking to stop the seizure of his 232-hectare Cockington Farm by the minister and her husband Tyrone Seward.

In the application HC2808/20, Zhuwao alleges that Coventry and her husband, with the police in tow, have been to the farm threatening workers and management.

“On June 2, husband of first respondent (Coventry) visited the farm with officer-in-charge Darwendale police and told my farm manager that the farm had been allocated to his wife. Coventry’s husband gave my farm manager a verbal notice of eviction,” Zhuwao’s founding affidavit read.

In the case, where he also cites Agriculture minister Perrance Shiri, Zhuwao, despite having been served with a withdrawal letter and having a pending High Court case challenging the withdrawal of his offer letter, argued that Coventry could not take over the farm before the matter is finalised.

“On January 8, 2020, I filed an application with this honourable court, case 97/2020, to set aside the Minister of Agriculture’s notice of withdrawal,” the affidavit read.

Zhuwao, who cannot attend court as he is out of the country reportedly recovering from brain surgery, wants Coventry and her family barred from taking over his farm.

“We have been instructed to file an urgent chamber application by our client who is currently recovering from brain surgery in Zambia. He had signed the founding affidavit which has been motorised and sent via email to enable us to file this application,” the court papers, filed by his lawyers Machekano Law Practice, read.