Illegally Settled Farmers Stranded

27 Jul, 2014 - 06:07 0 Views
Illegally Settled Farmers Stranded Resettled farmers - Picture by Kudakwashe Hunda

The Sunday Mail

Hundreds of illegally settled farmers in Zvimba district, Mashonaland West province, are facing an uncertain future following the refusal by Government to grant them A1 land resettlement permits.

Since the Government started issuing the permits, illegal resettlers have thronged the Zvimba district administrators’ office, seeking the permits which endorses A1 farmers’ security of tenure.

The farmers are, however, being turned away and the Zvimba District Office has since suspended the issuing of the permits at two resettled farms, pending proper investigation and an audit.

According to Zvimba district administrator Mr Andrew Tizora, Royden and Sunnyside Central farms are the most affected areas with hundreds of families having being allocated land there illegally.

An illegal settlement has mushroomed at Royden farm where landless people were allocated three-hectare plots.

According to the beneficiaries, the local leadership was selling the plots for between US$200 and US$1 000, depending on size.

Addressing farmers that were seeking the permits from his office last week, Mr Tizora said those farmers that were illegally allocated land must vacate the land.

“We are definitely not going to entertain those farmers that were illegally resettled.

“We are only concerned with the 85 farmers that were legally settled at Royden,” Mr Tizora said.

More than 2 000 of the anticipated 221 470 resettled farmers have so far received the A1 permits.

Some of the people that were involved in the land scam have been arrested while other cases are still pending. Apart from the illegal allocations, the land register in the district was chaotic since it was littered with such anomalies as double allocations and multiple plot ownership.

“We are going to have a thorough and comprehensive audit. This audit will settle, once and for all, the issue of illegal land allocations in this area,” added Mr Tizora.

A visit by The Sunday Mail to Royden Farm revealed that some of the illegally resettled farmers have made significant developments, among them the drilling of boreholes and the construction of vital farm infrastructure.

The farmers were settled on wetlands and areas that were previously earmarked for pastures and land that had been set aside for other commercial purposes.

“I do not know what to do. I had sunk a borehole and had already prepared for the forthcoming season.

“If I am forced to vacate this land, I will never be in a position to recover from the financial ruin that will come with the eviction,” said James Rakodzi, who was illegally allocated land at Sunnyside Central.

Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, Dr Douglas Mombeshora has in the past warned people who resettled themselves to vacate the pieces of land or risk prosecution. In Zimbabwe, the land belongs to the State and the Government, through the Lands and Resettlement Ministry, has the sole responsibility of distributing the natural resource.

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