Choruma razes knee-high maize on contested farm, defies court order – Eduzim News

By A Correspondent| Zimbabwe Lands Commissioner Tsitsi Choruma has destroyed 15 hectares of knee-high maize belonging to industrialist Prosper Muchenje in direct and flagrant violation of a High Court order barring her from interfering with production on Amandas Estate in Mazowe.

Choruma, a former Public Service Commissioner who is now a commissioner at the Zimbabwe Lands Commission, allegedly led a team of workers to systematically raze the crop earlier this cropping season, sources said.

The maize, which was at a critical growth stage and weeks away from tasseling, was completely destroyed.

The October 2022 High Court interdict, granted by Justice Neville Wamambo, explicitly prohibited Choruma and her agents from “conducting any activity” on the disputed portion of the farm, warning of “irreparable harm” to Muchenje. Choruma has ignored the order with impunity.

Sources accuse Choruma of leveraging her current position as a Lands Commissioner — the very body that adjudicates land disputes — to evade accountability and intimidate opponents.

“She is now a commissioner at the Lands Commission, the same authority that deals with land matters,” a source close to the dispute said.

“She is using that position to shield herself from consequences. How can the public get justice when the person grabbing land is also the one supposed to regulate land allocation?”

When Muchenje’s representatives rushed to a local police station to report the criminal destruction of crops, officers refused to open a doc or take a formal statement, sources told this publication.

Witnesses allege the refusal was linked to Choruma’s powerful connections — first as a Public Service Commissioner and now as a Lands Commissioner — which appear to have placed her above the law.

“The police told my client it was a ‘land issue’ and not a criminal matter, despite the fact that crops were deliberately destroyed,” another source said. “Anyone else would have been arrested by now. But because she is who she is, the police look the other way.”

Muchenje’s legal team is now preparing an urgent contempt of court application against Choruma. Legal analysts say a conviction for contempt could result in a fine, imprisonment, or both — but question whether the courts will act against a sitting Lands Commissioner.

Choruma has previously maintained she holds a valid offer letter from the Ministry of Lands, dating back to March 2022 when Lands Minister Anxious Masuka allocated her 50 hectares of the farm.

Muchenje, who was originally allocated Amandas Estate in 2013, has consistently challenged the legality of that allocation.

Critics say Choruma’s appointment to the Lands Commission while actively involved in a disputed land claim represents a glaring conflict of interest.

Choruma did not respond to multiple requests for comment.

Police authorities had not responded to inquiries by the time of publication.

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