BULAWAYO – Vice-President Kembo Mohadi’s former wife was last week jailed for 90 days for interfering with farming activities at the Zanu PF heavy weight’s farm.
Tambudzani, a Zanu PF senator, violated a court order barring her from visiting her former husband’s farm in Matabeleland South.
She was convicted on contempt of court charges by Beitbridge resident magistrate Langton Mukwengi for visiting and breaking locks at East Masiel Farm in Insiza.
Mohadi is leasing the farm from businessman Delma Lupepe. The VP said Tambudzani was disrupting her businesses as she “does not seem to let go.”
“It seems she has resolved to cause all sorts of provocations albeit contrary to all these court orders so that I am forced to respond in the similar manner and so that she attracts unnecessary media attention to her benefit,” Mohadi said in his founding affidavit.
Tambudzani is accused of hurling insults at Mohadi’s workers during the intrusion. Mohadi said his former wife’s behaviour was not befitting that of a senator.
“What prompted me to file this particular application is that on August 30, 2019, the respondent went to East Masiel Farm, Insiza in Matabeleland South where I am running an animal husbandry project without my consent and started harassing my employees and ordering them to count all the beasts against their will,” the VP said.
“The respondent was never allowed or given permission to go to the leased place, which I am leasing from Delma Lupepe alone.
“The respondent is supposed to get her share of cattle as per the consent paper,which she had refused to collect to date and I explicitly advised her that she will collect her herd of cattle at Lot 1 of Lot 10 Jompembe but it appears that fell on deaf ears.”
Mohadi said on August 31, 2019 his former wife went to Jompembe “where she again harassed the farm workers and accused them of siding with me”.
Tambudzani who was in the company of her daughter Abigail is said to have harassed the VP’s farm manager, Henry Chonzi.
Abigail was accused of shouting obscene and derogatory words at Chonzi whom he accused of being a spy.
“On September 1, 2019 the respondent then decided to extend her provocation against me and went to stand number 441 Beitbridge where my company, Malindi Storage and Logistics (Pvt) Ltd operates a transit business and she harassed employees there and threatened to break all the doors and windows unless she was given US$10 000, which she claimed was her share,” Mohadi said.
The VP said Tambudzani’s conduct undermined “the judiciary and will cause people to lose confidence in our courts if a lesson is not taught to her and all those who support her and the-would be offenders.
“It is expected that people like Senators should know better and behave exemplary.”
Tambudzani last month got a court order forcing Mohadi to share their property. The VP said his former wife was merely playing to gallery. – The Standard
