MORE than 500 communal farmers from Chivhunze Farm under
Chief Bvute in Mberengwa have been served with eviction notices.
The farmers were settled at the farm in 2009 and paid US$20
to the local authority which issued them with permits under the settlement
permits by-laws of 2006. However, the settlers have been given less than a
month to vacate the area by Government through the Ministry of Lands,
Agriculture and Resettlement. The farmers last week petitioned Mberengwa North
Member of Parliament, Cde Tafanana Zhou, and other Government officials to air
out their grievances.
“The farmers approached me to register their grievances.
They hold permits that they were issued with in 2009. They have been at the
farm for close to a decade now. They said they were being told to vacate the
farm as they are being classified as illegal settlers. So we have approached
Government and the party (Zanu-PF) leadership to assist these farmers because
in my view they were legally settled and cannot be classified as illegal
settlers,” Cde Zhou.
Zanu-PF Midlands provincial chairperson, Engineer Daniel
McKenzie Ncube confirmed receiving the report saying the party will deliberate
on the matter and approach the responsible ministry to assist the farmers.
“I have received the letters from the farmers including
their copies of permits they were issued with. We will approach the responsible
ministry so that we understand how and why the farmers are being evicted. I
feel that there could have been miscommunication which led to the farmers being
classified as illegal settlers. We will also raise the concern with the
Minister of State for Midlands Provincial Affairs,” he said.
Government recently announced that it will soon evict all
illegal settlers who invaded privately owned farms, ungazzetted state land and
forests. Midlands Minister of State Cde Larry Mavima recently said Lands,
Agriculture and Rural Resettlement Minister Perrance Shiri had instructed all
provinces to evict all illegal settlers.
Minister Mavima said the Land Commission was also moving
around all provinces inspecting farms on usage and productivity. Minister of State Security Cde Owen Ncube
said some of the people who are being categorised as illegal settlers were
those that had been allocated land by Government but were still to receive offer
letters.
“The removal of illegal settlers is a national operation.
In Mutare they invaded a forest meant for timber production. However, we have
realised that there are some people who were settled on farms while waiting for
offer letters and it has taken longer than expected. There are reports also
that there are some leasing land and we want that land to be repossessed,” he
said. Sunday News
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