Zimbabwe’s white farmers’ union has accused the magistrate who presided over the case of four farmers evicted from their properties last week of bias after it emerged that he was also eyeing one of the farms at the center of the controversy.
The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said Mutare magistrate Samuel Zuze was one of the beneficiaries of the government’s land reform program and was allocated a plot on Newcastle Farm owned by evicted farmer Mike Jahme.
Jahme and three other commercial farmers were last month convicted by Zuze of refusing to vacate their properties after being served with eviction notices by new landowners.
CFU president Deon Theron said the union had a copy of an offer letter to Zuze offering him Newcastle Farm.
“It is unacceptable for a magistrate to preside over a trial in which he holds a personal stake,” Theron said.
The four farmers from the southeastern farming town of Chipinge were last month issued with warrants of arrest after defying an earlier order to vacate their farms within 24 hours.
The union said Zuze convicted Algernon Taffs, Dawie Joubert, Mike Odendaal and Jahme on January 20 for refusing to vacate their properties and sentenced them to a $800 fine each.
He ordered that they immediately move out of their homes and vacate the farms.
The farmers however filed an urgent appeal in the High Court in Harare, a move that under court procedures means the ruling of the lower court is automatically put on hold, allowing the farmers to remain on their properties until conclusion of their appeal against both conviction and sentencing.
But the magistrate refused to recognize the High Court appeal and issued a warrant of arrest for all the farmers and issued them with eviction orders.
Source African Press Agency
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