The battle for control of Kondozi farm, a horticultural producer and a significant player in European markets, intensified this week with Vice President Joseph Msika reprimanding the Minister of Information and Publicity, Professor Jonathan Moyo for leading, together with other junior ministers, a clandestine campaign to take-over the lucrative farm using Arda as a guise. The fuming Msika, who is chairman of the Cabinet Committee on Rural Development, is said to have openly castigated Prof Moyo and told the junior minister to take his hands off Kondozi, which is run by a black businessman, Edwin Moyo. Kondozi farm in Manicaland, has an Export Processing Zone (EPZ) status, and was previously jointly owned by Edwin Moyo and the De Klerk family. The De Klerks have since left the farm and are opening a similar venture in neighbouring Mozambique.

Authoritative sources at Munhumutapa Building, offices of the Presidency, told The Tribune that Msika was œvery, very angry at Moyo™s insubordination from earlier remarks published in the Monday edition of The Herald in which the minister sought to undermine the vice president. Msika, the sources said, took great exception to Prof Moyo™s remarks and reminded the minister that he was too junior to countermand his directive that the army, police and the ARDA personnel that had invaded Kondozi farm in Odzi, should vacate the farm immediately. A battalion of armed soldiers and riot police with water canons invaded Kondozi farm on Good Friday, chased away over 5 000 workers from their homes, looted food and took refrigerated produce worth over $2 billion unknown destinations in Manicaland. Farm workers who spoke to this newspaper said Arda workers had also taken all the vehicles belonging to the farm including some movable property.

Last week Chiefs from Marange communal lands, where Kondozi is located, irked by the destruction at the farm, travelled to Harare to meet President Mugabe but later saw Msika. The chiefs told the Vice President that the Member of Parliament for the area and Minister of Transport and Communications, Christopher Mushowe and Agriculture Minister Joseph Made wanted to take-over Kondozi using ARDA as a conduit. They told the Vice President that the two Ministers had lied to the President that the De Klerk family, former owners of the farm, were using Edwin Moyo as a front. However, Moyo owns 52 percent of Kondozi through Canvest Farming (Pvt) Ltd from loans amounting to about $30 billion obtained from Barclays Bank and African Banking Corpration (ABC). Since the departure of the De Klerks, Moyo had warehoused the remaining shares for employees and other locals, especially outgrowers. This position, according to sources, is being supported by Msika, who argued that ARDA as an institution (where Made used to be the head), had failed in all its agro-ventures countrywide.

Currently the state-run Arda has failed to utilise its farm near Kondozi and about 100 workers there have gone for months without wages, according to information with this newspaper. According to insiders at Munhumutapa, Msika is said to have told Prof. Moyo that their œtrick of trying to wrestle the farm away from Edwin Moyo using dubious means would not succeed. œMinister Moyo was told in no uncertain terms that he should lay his hands off Kondozi, said a source. œThe Vice President also told Moyo that he should not interfere in land reform because he was not the responsible minister and also that he was not part of the Cabinet Committee on Rural Development, added the source. Msika told the privately-owned Standard newspaper after meeting Chief Marange™s delegation that the invading forces including Arda should vacate Kondozi to allow investigations into the matter by John Nkomo, the Minister responsible for Lands, Land Reform and Resetllement. œUntil we find out whether proper channels were followed Arda should leave the property, Miska told the Standard adding that him and Nkomo were not aware that armed soldiers and policemen had aided Arda officials to invade the farm.

But using the government mouthpiece, Prof. Moyo declared through the Herald that there was no going back on Kondozi œcome rain, come sunshine and that Arda would occupy the farm. Sources, however, said Msika told minister Moyo that under the land reform policy, Government gives land to landless black people and not to institutions like Arda. According to sources, Made, Mushowe and Prof. Moyo, are alleged to have teamed up to take-over the lucrative export business at Kondozi under the guise of Arda. Msika, Nkomo and Minister Didymus Mutasa, the minister responsible for anti-corruption are expected to visit Kondozi this weekend to assess the damage caused by the invading forces. The 250ha farm produces baby corn, mange tout, sugar snaps, peas, gooseberries, fine beans and runner beans, which are all exported to European supermarkets in fresh form. Its annual turnover is estimated at US$15 million. Of the 5 000 strong workforce at Kondozi, about 1 000 live on the farm, while the remainder are transported daily from villages in Marange, Penhalonga, Osborne, Nyazura and Odzi.

Meanwhile, a delegation which will include Special Affairs Minister in the President™s Office responsible for the Anti-Corruption and Anti-Monopolies Programme Didymus Mutasa is expected to visit Kondozi farm soon to establish the correct position on the farm. Msika is also expected to join the team to the farm. Mutasa confirmed that he would soon be visiting Kondozi farm to find out the truth about the farm. He said he had also heard allegations by Made, Moyo and Mushowe that the major shareholder Edwin Moyo was a œconvenient and shameless front of white commercial farmers. Mutasa also heard allegations that Arda could be a front of the ministers. œWe are going to find out what is happening. As leaders we ought to see and find out what is happening so that we can make well-informed decisions. I am going there as the minister responsible for anti-corruption to see if there is any corruption involved in the acquisition of the farm. œWe want to go and establish the real truth. Msika is saying this issue must go to the Cabinet Committee on rural development, which must decide what should be done. I know that the statements are confusing people, hence the need to investigate the matter, Mutasa said. The acquisition came despite a provisional order by High Court Judge Justice Antonia Guvava against Arda and Minister Made against any interference at the farm.

Source: ZWNEWS.COM
URL: http://www.zwnews.com/issuefull.cfm?ArticleID…/p>