10 September 2012

 

“Friends are flowers in the garden of Life.’ RBC

Beautiful isn't she!

Hey I am back! I can’t believe that it has been over a year since I last penned any thoughts. Since having to relocate farms we have had such a struggle with our internet connection, but thanks to a 10m pole and an internet dongle we are reconnected.

A lot has happened this last year which has brought both highs and lows. Sometimes I have felt that I was trapped in a vortex that just kept spinning me around and around. Really just trying to get through each day. But at the end of every vortex is an opening and I feel that I am about to pop out the end. Kind of like the proverbial saying, “ I can see the light at the end of the tunnel.”

Well it has been two years since the “Old White man” passed away. In his kindness he left me all that he had in a last Will and Testament. A really kind gesture! The only struggle is that it has so far caused me more headaches and heart aches than joy and peace. You may be asking why so I will tell you some of the struggles.Firstly, we cannot look at this challenge through a logical processes of cause and effect. That does not work that well up here. In fact you have to throw all your ideas, thoughts, processes into a big 3 legged pot, give it a big stir and another for good measure and pour it out. What comes out is the result to the challenge. man a very different way of thinking.

Now that we have the process lets look at the scenario. Before Chris, ‘ the Old White man’ passed away he subdivided his farm selling 80 of the 170Hect to a local businessman. A contract was drawn up and signed by all relevant parties. Within the contract was a penalty clause for not paying on the time stipulated. Great nothing can go wrong!! Well the guy pays the last amount 4 days before Chris passes away and about 6 months passed the final date of the contract date.

Well I am given everything in the will. I then seem to embark on the road of no end!. Last year I am informed I have to go to the High Court to apply to be the legal executor of the Estate. This I do. Hurdle one arrives. The Will is invalidated as it misses one witness signature. However, the High Court reviews all the documentation and sees that I have been dealing with all Chris’ admin for the last 8 years. So they go ahead and appoint me the Estate Administrator. But because the Will in invalid he died inter-testate, so off to the Local Court for them to decide what to do regarding the estate. After 4 visits to the Local Court he decides to keep the desires of the Will .

I now start the laborious task of sub- dividing the land. I load up the surveyors and with contract in hand off to the farm we go. Now these guys charge about R 1000 , US$ 120 ,for a few hours, so the clock is ticking. We arrive and proceed to start measuring when the business man, who paid for the sub-division shows up and promptly chases us off the farm. well cash down the tubes, off I go to the local District Commissioner for help. He calls the guy in and attempts to explain to him the legalities of the whole thing. So back we go. I even concede to moving the line slightly in his favour in the hopes to make the guy happy. Another pop and we have the line demarcated so the relevant site plan can be drawn.

A couple of months later of trips back and forth to Kasama (100 miles away) to the lands department and they inform me that I have all the relevant documentation, so now off to Lusaka ( 600 miles away). At the counter I am i8nformed that I need to go back to Mbala and get some papers from our local council approving the sub-division. The guy at the counter is so polite and informs me with such a big wide grin, that you just can’t blow your top. So guess what! That is it we are back in Mbala and the papers are with the local council. It has been a cool 8 months of waiting.

Wait there is more. A few weeks after I am back and about to leave for SA on my deputation trip I receive a call from the Clerk of the High Court in Kasama that this business man is taking me to court so that he can get, no not his sub-division, but the whole farm! talk about giving a finger and your then your whole body is wanted. So on my way down I stop off and give the Clerk of the Court all the relevant documentation that is requested. I am then informed that the High Court needs to visit the said farm and I need to pay half the costs. Logic, don’t ask! So I cough up another R 1300 US$ 200 . Well the case continues. It should only come to court next year sometime.

While this is all going on the owner of the farm where we are staying gives me a call and informs me that we have 3 months in which to move. He needs the farm , wait for it!! ‘URGENTLY”. A year and a half later he still has not done anything with the farm. Well we moved and for the better in the long term. Word under the proverbial mango Tree has it that this businessman and our owner of the farm are the best of mates and so by kicking us off the farm he thought that we would just leave and then he could take the farm. Logic?

So please pray for us as we attempt to negotiate a maze that in essence is non negotiable. Only God’s wisdom can help us.

 

More coming soon!!