By A Correspondent-A senior military official has allegedly invaded Elvington Farm in Beatrice, Mashonaland East — a private property belonging to the late national hero and former Information Minister, Tichaona Jokonya.

Jokonya, who died on June 24, 2006, had purchased the 424-hectare farm in 1992. The property, popularly known as KwaJokonya, is registered under title deeds and has remained under family stewardship since his passing. The farm is currently used for cattle ranching and horticulture.

According to the Jokonya family, a group of men claiming to be acting under instructions from a military officer began fencing off part of the farm without the family’s consent on June 6.

“We woke up to see some men erecting a fence on a section of the farm. It was shocking,” said family spokesperson Bester Jokonya in an interview with NewsDay Weekender.

“When we confronted them, they said they had been sent by an army officer named Colonel Kennedy Makavanga. We contacted him, and he claimed the Lands ministry had allocated him the farm.”

The family said they immediately inquired with the Lands ministry in Mashonaland East, only to be informed that no such offer or allocation had been made to Makavanga or anyone else.

“This is a private property with title deeds,” Bester added. “We are living in fear because those who are supposed to protect us are invading our space. Our mother, the widow of the late Jokonya, is traumatised.”

The family reported the matter to police, resulting in the arrest of eight individuals who had been erecting the fence. They have been charged with criminal trespassing.

The suspects — Cephas Ndiripo (47), Newton Mafoti (46), Honest Tarugarira (30), Ashley Chimbare (22), Dean Nyagona (26), Naison Mbara (23), Panashe Weju (23), and Aaron Mushamu (30) — appeared before a magistrate in Beatrice on Thursday. They were remanded in custody until Monday for a bail hearing.

According to court documents, police first responded to the farm invasion on June 6, but the suspects fled the scene. However, on June 25, they returned and resumed fencing activities. The farm manager alerted the police again, leading to the arrests.

The accused told the court they had been contracted to erect the barbed wire fence by a man named Shadrack Chimbare of Chivhu, who they claimed was working under the direction of Colonel Makavanga.

Makavanga could not be reached for comment, as calls to his mobile phone went unanswered. Efforts to obtain a response from the Mashonaland East provincial lands office were also unsuccessful.

The incident has sparked renewed concerns about the abuse of power by military officials and the erosion of property rights in Zimbabwe. The Jokonya family is now calling for the immediate withdrawal of all individuals from the farm and for the government to uphold the rule of law.

Tichaona Jokonya, a former ambassador to the United Nations and a seasoned diplomat, was appointed Minister of Information in 2005 by the late President Robert Mugabe. He died a year later in a Harare hotel and was declared a national hero. He was laid to rest at the National Heroes Acre.