Stuff Reporter

Government has been urged to intervene in land disputes to curb the fleecing of farmers by unscrupulous lawyers and the courts.

A contact within the Land Commission said sugarcane farmers in the Lowveld were falling victim to shrewd legal law firms which were charging them exorbitant amounts of money in legal fees. He said the land disputes cases continued to be deferred.

“There are boundary disputes that are happening between farmers.  These boundary disputes are usually referred to the courts for settlement and nothing gets to be solved as these cases continue to be deferred endlessly while the law firms kept on lining their pockets with the litigation fees.

“There is connivance between the prosecutors and the law firms, to delay resolution of these disputes so that they can make money off these farmers and share the spoils afterwards,” the contact said.

He cited the case of one retired Colonel, Emmanuel Gono and Gerald Nyamuedza who fell victim to the scam.

“There is a case with Retired Colonel Emmanuel Gono who was represented by Mutumbwa and Mugabe Law Firm. He pumped out US$60 000 on legal fees while the case was continually being deferred for 2 years. 

“Another farmer who fell victim to these law firms was Gerald Nyamudeza who was represented by Guragena, Chuma and Partners. He paid US$30 000 but the case has been going on since mid-2020 and we are now nearing the end of 2021 while the case is yet to be resolved,” said the contact.

Other Law Firms that have been fingered in this scam include Winterton and Holmes, Shumba, Mutendi and Mudisi. 

Contact stressed that these issues were predominant in the Lowveld sugarcane farms. He further added that the Law Firms know how these farmers’ issues can be solved.

“They don’t seek position and direction from the Land Commission who are well versed in the land issues. They know that if they consult us, they would have killed the goose that lays their golden egg as the disputes will be quickly resolved.

“The Land Commission is not legally allowed to handle land issues that have been referred to the courts,” he said.

The unfortunate thing, the contact said, was that the cases were usually scheduled during the season that the farmers would be delivering their cane and being paid. The courts then direct the farmers to stop any activity on the farm until verdict is given.