A White Zimbabwean farmer is preparing to sue a minister for stealing bananas worth around £7,500 from his Eastern Highlands farmland.

The farmer, Johan Vorster, says his farm was invaded by deputy minister of transport and communications, Hubert Nyanhongo, and told local press that his attorneys are preparing a legal case against the Zanu (PF) junior minister for contempt of court, as he has apparently ignored a High Court provisional Order not to interfere with activities at the farm.

Vorster alleges the deputy minister illegally harvested bananas valued at £7,500 at his Eldorado farm in Burma Valley, about 40km south east of Mutare, in direct contravention of the High Court order.

In an exclusive interview with CAJ News, Vorster would not be drawn into revealing the amount his lawyers would claim for the alleghed theft.

He alleges Nyanhongo has up to date harvested about 100 hectares of ripe bananas worth zillions of astronomically devalued Zimbabwean Dollars. "We are proceeding to sue for theft of bananas on the farm. He has reaped about 100 tonnes of bananas worth US$15,000. This is despite the High Court ruling barring him from doing so," Vorster is reported as saying.

Earlier this month, he won a High Court provisional order barring Nyanhongo from interfering with operations at Eldorado Farm. Nyanhongo had last September invaded the farm in the company of Zanu PF youths and war veterans and taken it over, before immediately starting to harvest bananas and barring Vorster from the property until a provisional High Court Order on July 7 this year. The order prohibited the deputy minister from using Vorster's farming implements and equipment, as well as ordering Nyanhongo to give Vorster, his directors and employees access to the farm.

Nyanhongo is not allowed to reap bananas from the farm, and was order to pay the costs for the legal suit.

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