Zimbabwe hero's kin fights state plan to seize farm

A son of a Zimbabwean national hero has taken to social media to protest against the government's plan to take back agricultural land for resettlement in ongoing land reforms.

Siphosami Malunga, son of Sydney Malunga, who was part of the independence struggle, said the re-acquisition was not about land reforms and that they would fight back.

Zimbabwe has been undertaking land reforms that are aimed at redistributing colonial-era land grabs.

Presidential Spokesperson George Charamba commented on the tweet telling the public not to get involved in the matter.

"Be careful not to be used by attaching yourselves to something you don’t know or what you don’t have enough knowledge of! You are not the acquiring authority; you are not the Malungas. Just making some noise because Sipho has howled to a notice of intention to acquire the land? What are the facts? Tell us you who know," he wrote.

Journalist Hopewell Chin'ono - a fierce critic of the government - wrote: "This is really petty by [President Emmerson] Mnangagwa’s regime. It is an opportunity to expose the ridiculousness of this regime’s land reform program! This is crazy, you must be supported by all well meaning Zimbabweans."

This article originally appeared on BBC News

Photo: Siphosami Malunga Twitter