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Justice Maxwell Takuva inspects a quarter guard mounted by ZRP in Hwange (file pic)

Freedom Mupanedemo, Midlands Bureau
Bulawayo High Court Judge, Justice Maxwell Takuva, was recently taken ill with high blood pressure (BP) after his Sub Division 5 Ally Slopter Farm on the outskirts of Gweru caught fire resulting in him losing property worth thousands of dollars.

Police in Gweru were still investigating the cause of the fire which razed through the judge’s farm and homestead along the Gweru-Matobo Road last week on Tuesday.

Police are eager to interview workers from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development who were working on the road near the farm when the fire started.

“We are investigating the matter and information gathered at the moment is that some workers from the department of roads, who were maintaining the Gweru-Matobo highway where the farm is located, could have started the fire while preparing food.

“They did not put out the fire after preparing the food and the same fire is suspected to have later spread into the judge’s farm,” said a police source close to the investigations.

The police source said the farm employees alerted them of the veld fire but could not immediately speak to Justice Takuva who was on bed rest after BP got the better of him following the incident.

Justice Takuva confirmed having fallen ill after the incident yesterday.

He said he was now up and about after rains that fell some days after his farm was burnt brought back joy in him.

He said the fire had destroyed his fowl run, thatch and stock feed which he was keeping at his  homestead.

“I have over a 100 herd so there was a lot of stock feed at the homestead which I had bought that went up in smoke. I had also bought some thatch for my fowl runs and gazebo which was also destroyed in the veld fire. However, what affected me most was the loss of my stock feed because I could not imagine buying another stock to feed the more than a hundred herd. But thanks to God, some few days after the incident occurred, rains fell and at least my cattle now have pastures,” he said.

Justice Takuva said he was mulling suing the culprits for the loss.

“To my understanding, the fire was caused by some workers from the Ministry of Transport and Infrastructural Development who were maintaining the road and it should not be a problem for the police to identify people who were working along that road on the particular day.

“I will have to sue them and the ministry vicariously for the loss,” he said.