Goodwill backfires

 

Lovemore Kadzura
Rusape Correspondent

A Chiduku, Makoni woman is battling to evict her cousin who settled on her late father’s land 18 years ago.

Tina Zumbika of Kachisi Village said due to her acts of goodwill, she temporarily accommodated her cousin, David Mandizera, on her father’s land in 2004.

Zumbika dragged Mandizera and his wife, Susan Mandizera, to Chief Makoni’s court.

She was seeking Mandizera’s eviction from the land, highlighting that she would want her children to settle there.

Mandizera defaulted the hearing.

A distraught Zumbika said Mandizera has an alternative place to settle on but is clinging on to her father’s property.

“Mandizera was allocated land during the land reform programme but encountered some problems there and returned home in 2004.

“I gave him the nod to stay on my father’s land on a temporary basis. I did this in good faith since he is my cousin.

“After four years, I approached him and told him that I now want the land back since my children were now grown up. He promised to leave after harvesting his crops, but did not.

“He also sunk a well next to my late father’s grave. I confronted him over the issue, but his wife said they did not notice that there was grave. We ordered them to fill up the well since it did not have any water anyway, but they refused.

“They refused to do so when we wanted to erect a tombstone on the grave. After informing the village head, I had to summon my sister so that we could fill up the well that was next to the grave. After some deliberations in the presence of the village head, Mandizera agreed to leave my place but he later reneged on the agreement,” said Zumbika.

She said Mandizera promised to vacate the land on January 28 this year, but he is yet to leave.

“We held a family meeting and Mandizera was ordered to vacate the land. We planted our crops in the fields, but he uprooted them.

“His own siblings are also advising him to leave, but he is turning a deaf ear. They have their own family land,” said Zumbika.

The court advised Zumbika to take the matter to Chief Chiduku’s court since the area is under his jurisdiction.