HARARE – A senior Zanu PF official and Mashonaland East provincial member, Pardon Chibamu has been ordered by the Harare Magistrates Court to vacate a Borrowdale property he controversially seized from a widow and converted into a shebeen.
The property, owned by Victoria Matunga, had been leased out as a source of income following the death of her husband. Chibamu reportedly manipulated the agreement, initially renting the house under mutually agreed terms before reneging on the contract. He subleased the property to tenants, including one Prince Chenzara, and refused to pay the agreed rent.
Matunga accused Chibamu of using his political connections to intimidate her and shield the tenants, while he transformed the upmarket Borrowdale home into a boarding house and later a shebeen. Residents raised concerns about the illicit establishment, citing noise and other disturbances.
“This is not the kind of neighbourhood you would expect to find a shebeen, what with its noise and other social ills it brings,” said one resident anonymously.
Despite numerous demands for payment, Chibamu withheld two years’ rent amounting to US$5,119, forcing Matunga to take legal action. The court ruled in her favour, ordering Chibamu’s eviction and granting the widow possession of her property.
“You are directed to eject the said Defendant Prince Chenzara and all those claiming occupation through him from the premises … and to leave the same to the end that the said may peaceably enter into and possess the same,” read the court order addressed to the Messenger of Court.
Chibamu, known as “The Bulldozer” for his controversial tactics, is yet to comply with the eviction order.
Matunga’s case has drawn public attention to property rights abuses and the misuse of political influence in Zimbabwe. Residents and observers are calling for swift enforcement of the court’s ruling to restore order and accountability.
Source: NewZim