The villagers
claim Nkala began clearing land and cutting down trees on a stand in their area
without their consent, alleging that she acquired the land through improper
means.
“Our issue
involves a stand in Village 6, Nyandeni. We don’t want outsiders to come and
settle here without proper procedure. If we allow it, we fear our area will end
up like others where people from unknown places just move in, while local
youths remain without land,” said one villager.
Residents said
they were surprised to discover that the woman clearing the land was the town
clerk.
“We were
shocked to see this woman clearing land. We later discovered she is Gwanda Town
Clerk, Priscillar Nkala. At first, we only knew her as ‘uMaNkala’,” said
another villager.
They accused
Nkala of receiving the stand from a local council employee.
“So when those
in power are able to peg stands for themselves and allocate stands as they
wish, even the person who gave her the stand, who is also a community member
here, works at the council as a parking marshal. We suspect there was money
involved but we don’t have proof for that,” said another resident.
The dispute
dates back to last year, with residents saying they have repeatedly objected to
Nkala’s presence.
“We have been
fighting this issue from last year. We strongly objected in various meetings
that we don’t want her to settle here. We don’t want her because when she got
here, we only saw her cutting down trees with a chainsaw. When we asked which
authority gave her permission, she said she was allocated the stand by Nkulumo
Ncube, who is a parking marshal,” a villager said.
Adding to the
controversy, community member Nozibusiso Nyathi accused Ncube’s wife, who
serves as the community secretary, of altering meeting minutes to favour
certain individuals.
“We really have
a big problem in our village. We have reported this issue to the District Lands
Office because we want it resolved. Some people were previously arrested for
pegging stands on their own. Afterwards, the Ministry said no one should peg
stands until official procedures are completed,” said Nyathi.
She said the
community was shocked that someone in a senior position could receive a stand
while locals were barred from doing so.
“The elders in
our community are telling us that we don’t have a say in land issues. When
Village 6 resettlement started, there were 17 stands with leases. Now there are
60, belonging mostly to young people moving out of their parents’ homes. But
those with leases claim we can’t make decisions about who settles here,” she
said.
Nyathi added
that even when the Ministry of Lands holds meetings, officials only engage with
the 17 households that have leases, sidelining the rest of the community.
Meanwhile,
villagers said a community meeting was held where the youth unanimously
rejected Nkala’s settlement. However, some said they later faced intimidation.
“After the
meeting, some of us were targeted by Ncube, who threatened to beat us. When the
matter was reported to the police, he apologised and said it would not happen
again. Now Nkala has returned with the backing of two elders in the community,
against the 60 stands who still reject her,” said a villager.
Nyandeni
Village Head, Johane Moyo, said he was aware of the dispute and would convene
another meeting to resolve it.
“We are
fighting for our children to get stands. Where will they go?” Moyo said.
When contacted
for comment, Gwanda Town Clerk Priscillar Nkala dismissed the allegations as
exaggerated.
“Where am I
building? I am not building there, and I cannot build there without their
consensus. It’s an issue that is being blown out of proportion by people for
various reasons that they have,” Nkala said.
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