Victims of a well-orchestrated land scam at Crowhill Farm have appealed to the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission (ZACC) and the Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP) to arrest Florence and Felix Pambukani, the perpetrators behind the fraud.
The notorious couple, previously imprisoned for fraud, is accused of swindling more than 200 land-seekers through illegal land sales.
The victims are demanding the Pambukanis be jailed and compelled to pay restitution. Speaking anonymously due to fear of retaliation, one victim highlighted the couple's violent history. "I fear for my life because I know their history of hiring thugs to attack anyone who contradicts their plans. They have been threatening us for demanding clarification around the ownership of the farm. I don't know what to do; I have nowhere to go," the victim said.
The Pambukanis have a history of using similar tactics. In 2010, they violently took over Scotsdale Farm, leading to the owner's death. They have also attempted to seize Wakefield Farm.
Efforts to contact the Pambukanis for comment were unsuccessful as their mobile phones were unreachable at the time of publication.
Last month, the couple failed to halt the eviction of illegal settlers at Crowhill Estate in Borrowdale, which was mandated by the High Court in 2021. They eventually withdrew their High Court suit after realizing their chances of success were slim.
Crowhill Estate lawyer, Timon Tabana, who represents the legal owners of the estate, confirmed these developments. "They filed an urgent application on May 11 seeking to set aside the writ of execution, but the application was removed from the roll of urgent matters because it had been overtaken by events," said Tabana. "They attempted another application to interdict the Sheriff but withdrew the application at the hearing because a court cannot interdict a past event."
The High and Supreme Courts have, in various judgments, ordered the couple not to interfere with the legal operations at Crowhill Estate, as they have no legitimate claim to the farm. The Pambukanis falsely claim ownership of the 724-hectare property.
