What began as a
small encroachment in 2019, just before the Covid-19 pandemic, has now
spiralled into full-scale occupation. The once-thriving school farm, which for
decades sustained the institution through cattle ranching and crop production,
is now a shadow of its former self, overrun by settlers who have cleared
pastures, felled trees, and vandalised water systems.
The school’s
deputy headmaster and chaplain, Reverend Mthulisi Mvubu, said the invasion has
crippled the school’s farming operations and left the institution grappling
with a severe shortage of grazing land.
“We had a herd
of about 400 cattle, but we’ve been forced to downscale to 200 because there’s
simply no grazing land left. The settlers have taken over the paddocks and our
livestock now compete with theirs for the little grass that remains,” said Rev
Mvubu.
He said stock
theft has also become rampant, with the school having lost several beasts to
thieves who operate under the cover of the invasion.
The
encroachment has turned what was once a peaceful learning environment into a
zone of uncertainty. Learners and staff live in fear, as incidents of
vandalism, stock theft, and suspected drug peddling rise sharply.
“The settlers
are so daring that they have drilled boreholes right next to ours and even cut
off our water supply to divert it for their livestock. It’s a security crisis
and we’ve had to restrict learner movement and lock certain access points to
keep them safe,” said Rev Mvubu.
The
environmental toll is equally alarming. Large portions of the school’s grazing
land have been cleared for makeshift homesteads, while the institution’s
orchard has been destroyed through deforestation. The depletion of pasture has
forced the school to buy stock feed, driving up operating costs and threatening
the viability of its agricultural training programmes.
“Cyrene Mission
has always been known for its self-sustaining farm and its contribution to
agricultural education. Now, that legacy is under serious threat,” lamented Rev
Mvubu.
Parents are
also growing increasingly anxious about their children’s safety, leading to a
noticeable decline in enrolment. Plans to expand the school into a mixed
institution have stalled, as the land earmarked for girls’ dormitories has been
occupied by the settlers.
Despite
engaging the police and other Government departments, the situation continues
unabated.
A visit by a
Zimpapers news crew last week confirmed that much of the school’s farmland has
been taken over, with settlers coming from as far as Harare and even the
diaspora, some allegedly acquiring land illegally through unscrupulous
middlemen.
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