FARM machinery and livestock belonging to former Water Resources minister Munacho Mutezo will go under the hammer today in Odzi, Manicaland province, to recover a US$750 000 debt owed to his former business partner.
Mutezo has been battling since November last year to prevent the auctioning of the property at Fernicary Farm, trading as Rutendo Farm in Manicaland.
Megamania Glow Auctioneer issued a public notice announcing that the minister’s farm machinery will go under the hammer.
“Des Monies Farm (Pvt) Ltd vs Fernicary Farm trading as Rutendo Farm HCHC123/22,” the notice read.
It stated that farm machinery to go under the hammer is a John Deere Harvester with wheat and maize heads and power transformer 500kva.
78xMain Pileline 250 mm, 24 kva kipor Industrial generator, 90 hp pump,110 hp electric motor, 90 hp pump.”
Mutezo’s livestock, which includes seven heifers, six cows, one bull and four calves, is also set to go under the hammer on a date to be announced.
Mutezo was represented by Mangwana and Partners.
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Des Moines Farm was represented by Taona Sibanda, instructed by Brian Majamanda.
Majamanda confirmed the development to NewsDay yesterday.
“Yes, Fernicary Farm trading as Rutendo Farm will see its farming machinery going under the hammer to settle the debt,” he said.
Mutezo’s attempt to stop the asset seizure was dismissed by High Court judge Justice Samuel Deme two weeks ago.
The court rejected Mutezo’s interpleader application, which sought to block the auction, by claiming some of the attached assets belong to the government.
The debt stems from a lawsuit filed by Des Moines Farm, which demanded US$750 000 or its equivalent in local currency at the prevailing interbank rate for infrastructural improvements made to Fernicary Farm.
The claim included 5% annual interest from the date of summons and legal costs on an attorney-client scale. The court ruled that Fernicary Farm must pay US$455 000 in compensation plus legal costs.
In enforcing the ruling, the sheriff attached several movable assets at the farm in Odzi, Makoni.
In his affidavit, Mutezo claimed that six of the attached items belonged to the government.
He argued the items were issued under the 2007 -2008 farm mechanisation programme by then Agriculture minister Joseph Made and were immune to seizure in private debt matters.
However, Des Moines Farm highlighted Mutezo's failure to cite the government as a party in the case, adding that the attempt to drag the State into a personal debt dispute was unacceptable and regrettable.
Mutezo was expelled from Zanu PF in 2016 for allegedly backing then Vice-President Joice Mujuru’s failed bid to succeed the late former President Robert Mugabe.
