Musa Makina
NTABAZINDUNA farmer Floyd Ambrose who took over a farm belonging to a popular white family, has remained adamant declaring that he was officially given the land by government in 2010.
This comes after Mthwakazi Republic Party (MRP) activists last week invaded the farm in Ntabazinduna where they ordered him to leave and retain the farm back to the Parsons family.
The activists said the Parsons family were the rightful owners of the land since pre-independence.
However in his response, Ambrose took aim at MRP.
“MRP has no business in the issue, the issue is a legal matter that is before the courts. MRP is now a sponsored group of insurgents disguised as activists.
“The MRP group attacked me and I had to flee from a group of armed men carrying spears and axes which prompted me to fire warning shots into the air to deter them. The group was unrelenting and vicious,” Ambrose said.
Ambrose alleged that the activists stole and destroyed some of his properties at the farm.
“They ransacked the lodge and stole a laptop, US$14000, dented my car, towed the tractor, broke the fan belt, they tried to tow my property from the lodge and damaged my car and the tractor. My brand new gas stove was also damaged.”
On the ownership of the farm, Ambrose said: “I am a bearer of a valid offer letter issued in 2010 by the then minister of Lands Herbert Murerwa. I was allocated lot 15 that has the Lodge while Davies retained the homestead. In this case Mr Davies is claiming rights to two properties.”
Ambrose also added: “The Constitution is clear, the land reform and it’s sad that we have Zimbabweans who are fighting hard in defense of a White farmer whose farm was legally gazetted and distributed in terms of the Zimbabwean law.”
Responding to reports of him being related to the former vice president Kembo Mohadi, Ambrose said he was allocated the land before he became related to the Mohadi’s.
“Land was allocated to me in 2010 when I had no relationship with the Mohadi’s back then. I am not married to Mohadi’s daughter, in fact it is my sister in law, married to his brother not me.”
He added: “Besides it is not a criminal offence to be related to a politician neither is it criminal to belong to any political party of one’s choice as the constitution clearly states.”
The Parsons’ family spokesperson Buz Davies said the case was still in the courts.
“Please note we did not enlist MRP. We have been trying to resolve this through legal channels. I cannot make any comments as it is in the courts,” Buz said before referring further questions to his lawyers.
The farm known as Tabas Induna was before the latest takeover run by Brain and Carol Davies. The farm was purchased in 1953 by Carol’s grandfather Jack Parsons.
It was developed over the years into a very productive commercial farm by Jack Parsons and his son Peter Parsons a very well-known respected farmer and businessman.
Jack was chairman of Colcom, the commercial subsidiary of the National Pig Breeders’ Co-op, which was set up in 1943 and was a forefather of pig production in Zimbabwe.
The Parsons/Davies family was the largest pig producer in the country, with over 12,000 pigs, a large cattle herd, a commercial crocodile farm and a well-established and very successful photographic safari operation.
