By A Correspondent | ZimEye | A Harare man was on Wednesday brought before the court on charges of public violence following a clash between police and residents resisting eviction at Cloverdale Farm, which is owned by former cabinet minister Petronella Kagonye.

Garikai Chirambadare appeared before magistrate Ruth Moyo, who remanded him in custody.

According to court papers, the incident occurred on the morning of May 16, when High Court sheriffs Sirwadi, David Dodzo, Maccduff Madenga, and Anna Chitemamiswe, accompanied by police officers, went to Cloverdale Farm to evict illegal settlers armed with a court order (HCH2294/24).

“The accused, together with other settlers, barricaded the Harare-Mutare Highway using wooden logs and burning tyres. They also dug trenches at the entrance and along several roads within the farm.

“When the police attempted to disperse the group, the accused and others already on remand resisted, leading to a commotion.

“The disturbance caused a traffic jam on the highway, prompting the police to deploy tear smoke to try and disperse the settlers. Several police officers were injured during the confrontation. Amid the chaos, the accused allegedly took a riot gun from a police officer and fled with it. He was later arrested on May 26, 2025, by a Support Unit team,” reads the court documents.

In March, Magistrate Moyo had found seven land invaders guilty of contravening the Regional Town and Country Planning Act for illegally occupying Cloverdale Farm.

Chirambadare was among the settlers.

The seven were convicted based on evidence presented in court, which confirmed that the land belongs to Glorious Properties, represented by Kagonye.

The magistrate also noted that Glorious Properties provided documentary evidence showing they had been allocated the land and granted permission to develop the stands by the Ministry of Local Government.-ZimEye