Sources told
Masvingo Mirror that Owen Shayawabaya, the District Lands Officer for Nemanwa,
called a meeting on November 6, 2025, attended by Chief Mugabe’s aide Pascal
Mugabe, Village head Henry Muganhu Makusha, delegates from RCZ Reverend Enos
Chomutiri and Reverend Lovemore Mashamba, and Reverend Zambuko, as well as
Chief Mugabe, under whose chieftainship Henry Murray and Zero Farms fall, and
announced the planned evictions.
Chief Mugabe,
real name Matubede Mudavanhu, said those trying to evict his subjects are
daydreaming.
The meeting was
held at the Mugabe chief’s court.
Top people from
Chief Mugabe said RCZ was just accused of working with a certain powerful
political family trying to grab the land using RCZ as a guise. It is understood
that the meeting promised to compensate the evicted families.
Masvingo has
seen powerful politicians allegedly pushing people out of their homes and going
on to take over the land and develop upmarket residential stands. One of the
contentious standoffs is at Clipsham, where war veterans have been pushed out
and
The area of
Henry Murray and Zero Farms is massive; it has two primary schools – Sikato and
Nemanwa, 90 boreholes and 40 boreholes around Morgenster and various other
facilities.
RCZ General
Secretary Lovemore Mashamba confirmed the matter. He, however, declined to
comment until there is a final report from the RCZ board, which is involved in
the exercise.
“I cannot
comment on the matter because I haven’t received reports from the board which
is on the ground,” said Reverend Mashamba.
Chief Mugabe
argues that RCZ cannot take over the farms because the first white missionaries
found his people in the area when they came. It was the Mugabe people who led
the missionaries to the Great Zimbabwe Monuments, said the sources.
Masvingo Rural
District Council (RDC) is also accused of working together with RCZ. The Chief
Executive Officer, Martin Mubviro, however, professed ignorance of the saying;
he has never heard of such a thing.
“Muneri (RCZ)
was received by Chief Mugabe in the 1800s and took over our land. So, they
can’t talk about taking that land from us because it belongs to the Mugabes,”
said Chief Mugabe.
Chikutuva
Village head Henry Muganhu Makusha had no kind words for RCZ, which he accused
of trying to bring colonial-era title deeds on land they grabbed from them.
“It’s on record
that this land initially belonged to Chief Mugabe. We won’t accept any offer or
agreement. We know there are some deals that are being made, but we are ready
for anything. We can’t be homeless or kicked away from ancestral land because
of a paper drafted by colonial masters,” said Makusha. Masvingo Mirror
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