Land grabs by means of covid endangerment – a cautionary tale by Chuck Stephens

We all remember the devastating consequences of land grabs in Zimbabwe. Chuck Stephens, Executive Director at Desmond Tutu Centre for Leadership and a popular columnist at BizNews, wrote an article published that we published on BizNews.com in which he states that ‘we are starting to see reruns of those horrible scenes.’ BizNews founder Alec Hogg interviewed Stephens, who tells a chilling story about his own arrest and “three-night special” in jail over the past weekend. As a 70 year old man, Stephens objectively falls into the minority of those who are vulnerable to severe illness from Covid-19. Throwing him into an overcrowded jail cell – with no charge sheet and having been denied the right to make a statement – is therefore, surely, reckless. Stephens believes that it was brought about by a man with a fierce grudge against whom he won a court case relating to property ownership earlier this year. He believes that land grabs are happening and that ‘covid endangerment’ is the weapon being used, stating that; ‘there are forces out there that want your land no matter what they have to do to get it – including some policemen.’ His story is provided as a cautionary tale, a testament to the accounts of the past weekend in case of his death. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices