AT least 200 villagers from Maganga village near Marondera who invaded land belonging to Hunyani Estate at the onset of Zimbabwe’s chaotic fast-track land reform programme in 2000 have been evicted.
The Maganga area is located in Marondera East, 20 kilometres from the town. It is under Chief Svosve who mobilised his people to invade farms, thereby spearheading the land reform programme.
The Svoswe people, with the encouragement of the late Chief Svosve Enock Gahadza Zenda, armed with hoes and axes, moved into the Ruzawi commercial farming belt east of Marondera in 1998.
They invaded farms owned by white commercial farmers, arguing they were reclaiming ancestral land expropriated from their forefathers by the colonial settler regime.
The Svoswe people’s action was a precursor to the land reform programme, as it later inspired war veterans to invade farms with support from Zanu PF, which used it as a campaign tool during the 2000 parliamentary elections and the 2002 presidential elections as well as subsequent polls.
Hunyani Estate, armed with an eviction order and backed by heavily armed riot police, forcibly evicted the Maganga villagers between last week and Wednesday. The villagers were dumped near the Harare-Mutare road.
Maganga kraalhead George Siyawamwaya revealed that they invaded the farm at the height of the fast-track land reform programme after which they were promised offer letters.
According to the ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement, illegal settlers are defined as those without an offer letter, permit, lease or title deed.
“We began living at this place in 2000. We were promised offer letters, but nothing has come our way,” Siyawamwaya said.
“In 2017, officials from the Lands ministry told us that they will allocate 200 hectares of land to us, but today it is another story. Life is hard for us here, considering that we are living in the open.”
Meanwhile, minister of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution Aplonia Munzverengwi has confirmed that the farm belonged to Hunyani Estate.
“The farm was given to Hunyani Timbers who were the rightful owners of this land, so we have been sent a request to the minister of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate, Fisheries and Rural Resettlement to consider these farmers who have been staying at this place for many years so that he grants 210 hectares to allocate these farmers,” said Munzverengwi.
“We want to thank minister Anxious Masuka for giving these farmers 210 hectares since they were evicted by Hunyani Timbers.
“Every farmer is going to be allocated one hectare and we are now working on how we can establish an irrigation set-up to these farmers,” said Munzverengwi.
—STAFF WRITER.
