MARONDERA: War veterans in Mashonaland East have resolved to repossess several farms allegedly invaded and seized from them by Zanu PF’s G40 members.

The once-powerful G40 group is now in disarray with its leaders in exile after it was routed in the ruling party’s bitterly contested succession dispute.

A recent meeting of the Mashonaland East Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWA) heard that farms belonging to its members were illegally repossessed by G40 members between 2015 and 2016.

According to minutes of the meeting, one of the farms repossessed belonged to ZNLWA spokesperson, Douglas Mahiya.

During the meeting, the war veterans accused the then lands minister, Douglas Mombeshora, of illegally issuing offer letters for land occupied by ZNLWA members to G40 sympathisers.

“Most affected are farmers in the Beatrice farming area,” part of the minutes in our possession read.

“In 2015 and 2016, war veterans were subjected to abuse as their farms were illegally repossessed on the instructions of then Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Douglas Mombeshora who was part of the G40 cabal.”

Mombeshora has since been replaced as lands minister by Parrence Shiri who announced an end to any farm disruptions across the country.

Several efforts to get a comment from Mahiya were unsuccessful, but in 2015, he was expelled with other senior ZNLWA officials from Zanu PF following accusations that they were backing a then vice president, Emmerson Mnangagwa’s bid to replace former President Robert Mugabe.

Mugabe was ousted under military pressure last November and the fired war veterans, including Mahiya and ZNLWA chairperson, Christopher Mutsvangwa, have since been readmitted into Zanu PF.

Mutsvangwa is now a special advisor to new president Emmerson Mnangagwa.