Grace evictees homes raided, destroyed

August 24, 2017

SUSPECTED Zanu PF militia on Wednesday raided and destroyed temporary shelter housing First Lady, Grace Mugabe evictees, villagers have alleged.

Early this year Grace evicted over 100 families from Anold Farm in Mazowe where she wants to extend her empire and place wildlife on that land.

Since then, the dejected families who were resettled at the government owned farm, have been staying in temporary shelters within the farm premises.

Their representative Innocent Dube, told New Zimbabwe that more than 10 known local Zanu PF youths early Wednesday raided and destroyed their ‘houses’.

“They came early today holding logs, ordered everyone to get out before they started attacking our houses,” he said on Wednesday.

“We have reported the case at Mazowe police station but the police have not shown interest in assisting us and they are saying that they are afraid of being victimized if they act.

This has been going on for a long time and we are being discriminated by our own government in our own independent country,” said Dube.

He described the behaviour of the police as deplorable.

“The police are not doing their duty which is clearly stipulated by the constitution which says that they (police) must protect and secure the lives and property of the people,” said Dube.

The First Lady already runs an elite orphanage centre at the nearby farm.

Last month, the farm evictees said even humanitarian organizations were now hesitant to assist them as they fear the cancelation of their permits by the government.

The dejected families have also turned to the Southern African Development Community, (SADC), for the regional bloc’s intervention.