HUNDREDS of villagers in Mashonaland Central province face eviction to pave way for expansion of Muzarabani growth point.
The affected villagers through their traditional leaders
have sought assistance from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) to
stop the planned evictions.
In a letter to the Muzarabani Rural District Council
(MRDC), the villagers through lawyer Paidamoyo Saurombe said they were only
notified of the imminent eviction last month.
They were not given alternative land to relocate to.
“Any relocation of villagers must be done in terms of the
provisions of the law; and that there should be adequate notice and suitable
relocation areas provided by MRDC,” the ZLHR said.
“There should be compensation to those who will be affected
and adequate provisions to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the
area, hence a blanket approach, which disturbs the way of life of the village
heads and the villagers would be undesirable and unlawful.”
The letter was copied to Local Government minister July
Moyo.
In the letter, the traditional leaders said they were only
informed that their villages were in the Muzarabani growth point catchment
area, according to maps.
“In that vein, in terms of section 62 of the Constitution
of Zimbabwe, read with section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act (Chapter
10:33), which promotes public access to governance information for the purpose
of exercising accountability, we request to be provided with the following
documents and information: The 1983 map for Muzarabani growth point, the
October 1987 map for Muzarabani growth point, and the ground plan for
Muzarabani growth point.” Newsday
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