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Tendai Kwaramba
Post Reporter
AN Odzi man is at loggerheads with his in-laws who want him evicted from the land he is occupying as his homestead.
Unable to resolve the dispute between themselves, the parties took the matter to Mutare Civil Courts seeking recourse, where Peter Zigowa sought a protection order against Cosmas Maponza and his son, Mike.
They recently appeared before Mutare magistrate Mr Xavier Chipato.
Mr Chipato granted the protection order in favour of Zigowa, which bars the Maponzas from harassing, assaulting and disturbing his peace.
However, Cosmas and his son opposed the ruling.
They accused Zigowa of reneging on the initial agreement between the parties, which now sees him staying put by force.
Cosmas claimed that he bequeathed his land to Zigowa for temporary use on the arrangement that the latter would relinquish it when the former’s then minor sons become adults.
“Your Worship, last year I visited him to discuss his eviction and we agreed he would leave after harvesting his crops. However, when I got back to the place this year, I was surprised to see that he had demolished my buildings and was in the process of constructing other structures.
“When I confronted him, we exchanged words with his wife and she indicated that they would no longer buy the land yet I never intended to sell it,” said Cosmas
His son Mike claimed that Zigowa was given the land during the subsistence of his marriage to his (Mike)’s sister before they divorced.
Zigowa denied ever being given the land by Maponza.
“I got the land from my father-in-law,” he charged.
Mr Chipato barred Maponza from visiting Zigowa’s place as it was not clear who actually owned the land in question.
He advised the parties to consult their village head for arbitration.
Online Reporter