135 families evicted from Mash East

The workers’ spokesperson Mr Faison Kome yesterday told The Herald that there were more than 400 people crammed at the shopping centre.
He said they were using two pit latrines and drawing water from an unprotected well.
“We have been here since December 13, living in tents donated by the International Organisation for Migration. As you can see there are no proper floors and people are sleeping on damp soil while mosquitoes are preying on them,” said Mr Kome.
He said their ordeal began in 2005 after the death of their employer Benjamin Lombard and the wife Leslie took over.
Mr Kome said Leslie, who is now staying at the Borradaille Trust Home for the elderly in Marondera, could not generate enough revenue to meet their payments so she decided to lease the farm to them.
“We managed to pay our monthly rentals for some time but things came to a head when we failed to raise enough cash and went for some months without paying,” he said.
Leslie is alleged to have taken the matter to the courts where she won an eviction order against the workers that was later overturned allowing the workers to stay.
Leslie, alleged the workers later returned in the company of a certain Chauruka whom she said had bought the tobacco concern and was therefore coming with his own workers.
“The surprising thing is that Chauruka did not have agreement of sale papers with him but was just using powers of attorney and deeds of cessation.
“We resisted their efforts. They later returned with police from Goromonzi who helped them evict everyone but that was not before they razed all houses to the ground, loaded people’s property into trucks and dumped it in the bush,” Mr Kome said.
He added that many people lost appliances such as television sets and radios, clothes, linen and even cash that the majority keeps under mattresses during the blitz.
One of the workers, Mr John Chirwa said Leslie owed them close to a million dollars from unpaid wages and terminal benefits.
“We were last paid in 2006 so we have been surviving on what we raised from grading tobacco brought in by farmers.
“We only owed Leslie US$2 000 but it is surprising that she decided to take such a drastic step when in fact she owes us more,” said Mr Chirwa.
He added that even those who had planted maize had the crop ploughed into the ground while water supplies were also cut.
This also left a nearby clinic facing acute water shortages.
“Most of these families are keeping their belongings at nearby Takura Secondary School while others have been assisted by well-wishers. The biggest challenge at the moment is securing food.
“Before the blitz we had enough food but most of it was lost when our houses were destroyed. The seed we got from the Presidential Input Scheme was also put to waste when the crop was ploughed down,” said Mr Chirwa.
The Herald tracked Leslie to her home in Marondera but she rudely told the crew off.
“Go away. I do not want to talk to you. Go and find Chauruka and talk to him. I have no time with people like you,” she said before retreating into her house.
Just like the new workers at Mashonaland East Tobacco Graders, Leslie also refused to give the crew Chauruka’s phone number.
Mashonaland East Tobacco Graders’ key business is to grade tobacco for farmers for a fee before packing it in rough bales in readiness for the market. They then send the tobacco to Tobacco Processors of Zimbabwe or Zimbabwe Leaf Tobacco in Harare.