Bid to evict step cousin flops

Lovemore Kadzura

Mutare Bureau

A bid by a Makoni villager to evict his cousin from a piece of land that she inherited from her late father flopped recently after the intervention of a community court.

Sophia Chinyanga approached Chief Makoni’s community court recently seeking to have his cousin Peter Muzururu barred from taking over the land in question. Chinyanga and Muzururu’s mothers are sisters.

Sophia had already sold part of the land for US$800 to a buyer, Moses Jack who is now facing a challenge in utilising the place as Muzururu is reportedly blocking him.

“I sold my piece of land to Jack and Muzururu is refusing to allow Jack to settle. Muzururu is my maternal relative as our mothers were sisters. We all grew up with our maternal grandparents but later on he looked for his father and found him. He went to stay with them.

“What is surprising to me is that he has returned to my father’s land.

“The matter was once handled by the village head and Muzururu promised to vacate after harvesting his maize but later reneged. I approached him several times asking him to leave but he would say I should not challenge him as I am a girl child.

“He also threatened to strike me with an axe, prompting me to make a police report.

“He should go and inherit his father’s land, not mine. He destroyed my father’s houses and used the bricks to construct his houses,” said Chinyanga.

Muzururu told the court that Sophia sold the land which belonged to her late brother who left behind a family and he claimed that he is fighting for them.

“This piece of land belongs to Sophia’s late brother, Levy. She sold her late brother’s land yet he left behind a family with nowhere to stay,” said Muzururu.

The court ordered Muzururu to vacate the place and told him that he was entitled to interfere in the affairs of the Chinyanga family which he is not part of.

“This a clear case, Muzururu has no say on this land. He is not a member of the Chinyanga clan. He cannot determine how the land is utilized because he is a stranger. He is given one month to vacate the place. Failure to comply with the court will send messengers to evict him,” ruled the court.