MDC-Alliance legislators yesterday defended former First Lady Grace Mugabe’s ownership of multiple farms and quashed calls by Norton legislator Temba Mliswa to repossess them.

The incident occurred in the National Assembly during the weekly question-and-answer session.

Mliswa claimed it was on record that the former First Lady had multiple farms and asked Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi, as leader of Government business in Parliament, when Government would start repossessing some of them.

President Mnangagwa is on record as saying the former First Family owned more than 10 farms.

“Government embarked on a land audit to see who was utilising land and who was not and for what reason and the multiple farm owners,” said Mliswa.

“It is on record that the former First Lady owns more than four farms and the Government has done absolutely nothing when the policy is one-man one-farm, one-woman one-farm.

The question is; what have they done with the land audit and why have they not repossessed land from the former First Lady.”

MDC-Alliance legislators interjected, with St Mary’s legislator Mr Job Sikhala shouting: “Mugabe akafa kare siyanai naye (referring to Mrs Mugabe) and “why do you want to abuse the widow.”

MDC-Alliance legislators briefly brought business to a halt, while Mliswa accused them of supporting Mrs Mugabe because she funded their campaigns in 2018 harmonised elections.

“Makapihwa mari naGrace muchi campaigner (you were funded by Grace during the elections campaign),” Mr Mliswa said.

Mrs Mugabe was the face of the G40 faction that was expelled from Zanu PF during Operation Restore Legacy in 2017.

The group has found a home in MDC-Alliance, with former Zanu PF Politburo members — Professor Jonathan Moyo and Patrick Zhuwao — openly throwing their weight behind the opposition party’s president Mr Nelson Chamisa and admitting that they fundraised for MDC Alliance campaign.-State media