The Sunday Mail
Located approximately 30km south-east of Harare, right next to the old suburb of Mabvuku/Tafara, lies Caledonia Farm. The sprawling land stretches more than 5km from the fringes of Tafara and was once a hub of farming activity up until the turn of the millennium when it was acquired by Government; firstly for purposes of resettlement and then to cure Harare’s accommodation headache.
Now, almost 15 years to the date of the first settlements, Caledonia has become but a pale shadow of its former self.
The land has fallen victim to years of neglect as the roads hardly resemble those of a developing urban settlement, refuse collection and sanitation infrastructure are dreams, and basics like water and electricity are non-existent.
As for the people, well, they get by as best as they can without the basics, including schools and clinics.
Theirs is the story of Harare’s forgotten population, which lives on a prayer.
Mrs Tambudzai Muzarabani lives in a single room structure and has been struggling to add another for the past decade.
Like many people here, she clings to hope in a land of hopelessness.
“We came here as a result of the displacements that occurred about 10 years ago and I came from Chitungwiza.
“My life here hasn’t been all that bad as I no longer struggle with bills and rates, but that is not to say it’s the ideal life.
“We don’t have access to water or any services as you can see.
“People around here have learnt to adapt and are no longer bothered by electricity, water and sewage. In fact for everyone who stays on this farm, all we desire is a place to sleep and have food on the table.
“Over the years we have had many promises from the Government and donors, but that’s all there have been – promises,” she says somewhat forlornly.
Another resident, Tanyanyiwa, says he is a pioneer settler here.
“Life was okay at first as we were few in number and had demarcated land.
“However, we have since been hit by overpopulation as approximately 20 000 people have been squeezed onto this piece of land that stretches only five kilometres.”
And the population is growing as more people flee Harare’s relatively high cost of living.
This has also meant more criminal activity and vice, and a proliferation of shady housing co-operatives that promise heaven on earth.
“When I purchased land here, we were initially required to pay about US$1 500 for the stands but it was reduced to about US$700 with a provision for monthly subscriptions, which on top of balancing the arrears would go into structural development.
“However, a lot of money has disappeared through housing co-operatives and we have not seen the promised developments.
“Those of us who own businesses are forced to pay ‘protection fees’ on top of daily, weekly and monthly rentals, with some even charging us for using public toilets,” narrates Simon Magaya.
Naturally for such settlements, liquor outlets are thriving businesses.
Early in the morning, people start trickling into beer halls and other retailers – largely unlicensed – open to the thirsty public.
“There is brisk business for vasikana vebasa (commercial sex workers),” businessman Dumisani Kanyande informs us.
“Some even parade during the day as it is their only means of survival. They are mostly school drop-outs.
“Many people who stay here are either unemployed, survive on ‘piece jobs’ or take up prostitution.”
Kanyande says the commercial sex workers charge as little as US$1 or even R5 per session and, in a sadly predictable manner, teen and unplanned pregnancies, and HIV and Aids are rife.
The huge pressure on the land means deforestation is inevitable.
The land is barren after years of wanton tree-cutting as people use wood to build houses and for energy.
Regardless, the people soldier on, hoping against hope, and the small and medium-sized enterprises are fast-developing here.
Gazebo Shopping Centre is the heartbeat of commercial activity, holding flea markets, general dealers, various service providers and an assortment of vendors.
The leading business owners are those who settled in the area back in 2002 as part of land reforms and some of them have bought cars from a mixture of sheer hard work, blind luck and no small measure of street smarts.
Tamuka Branch Co-operative chair “MaGreen” Chareka says: “We were the first settlers here (and) over the years we have become business owners so that we meet the needs of those who stay here.
“The distance to Tafara and Mabvuku is too great and so vending and businesses have grown due to high demand.”
Government has woken to the chaos in the settlement, especially within the context of con artists who parcel out land they do not own.
A committee has been established to probe these dealings.
Our own investigations have unearthed a syndicate that has taken it upon itself to “plan” the settlement.
A resident who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed: “Over the past couple of months I have been forced to move my shop as land keeps getting directed to housing by these self-imposed housing co-operatives.
“As if that’s not enough, profit is slow and little as we are constantly made to pay what can best be described as protection fee weekly or sometimes daily.
“The vendors have it worse as they pay between US$1 and US$5 to numerous groups who say they own the area, and they are made to pay for using public toilets.”
Another told how he had paid hundreds of US dollars for a stand and development – but the development has never come.
“I bought a stand which cost about US$1 500 here on the farm sometime in 2009. I was told I had to pay about half then make monthly payments, which would also be used to develop the area.
“It’s been almost five years now and nothing has been done to develop the area and I do not know where that money went or how it was used.”
An audit committee – led by Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Deputy Minister Joel Biggie Matiza – has been commissioned to investigate the anarchy.
In an interview, with The Sunday Mail Extra last week, Deputy Minister Matiza said: “We intend to restore order and proper planning at Caledonia because it resembles the same situation taking place in Chitungwiza.
“An audit team is currently on the ground to look into issues of illegal settlements which are sprouting up.”
The deputy minister said in some cases, structures had been erected on land reserved for schools or over waterways and under electricity poles. All these, he said, would be demolished.
The National Assembly representative for Goromonzi South, under which Caledonia falls, Cde Petronella Kagonye, says she has received reports of people being issued fake land offer letters.
“The general administrative issues have posed challenges resulting in cases of double allocations.
“The district administrator claims to be in charge and has been issuing offer letters such that some people coming from Mabvuku and Tafara are being allocated land on the farm,” she says.
Cde Kagonye says a certain councillor also claims authority and is issuing offer letters.
All farm offer letters are to be issued by the Lands Ministry, while local authorities oversee land use in their jurisdictions.
Cde Kagonye adds that more than 100 housing co-operatives have sprouted and many of them are nothing but bad news.
“There is no one legally in control of the settlement, so generally there is no authority to take care of the important amenities such as the roads and sewer systems.
“Goromonzi District Council cannot be held accountable since the settlers claim to be under the authority of the Harare City Council,” she explains.
“Because of the chaotic situation, there has been abuse of funds by the land barons who force residents to pay monthly subscriptions for development yet they do not even have title deeds for their small pieces of land.
“Right now there is no water as we have been failing to reach the water table because everyone is digging wells.”
Through it all, Caledonia residents plod on, hoping for a better tomorrow.
