A BITTER land ownership dispute has erupted in Chivhu, pitting hundreds of villagers against traditional leaders who allegedly parcelled out large tracts of their ancestral land to outsiders in connivance with local Zanu PF bigwigs.
The dispute has sucked in the Chikomba Rural District Council, which claims that the land in dispute is within the boundaries of a rural service centre hence the local authority has legally settled the alleged outsiders.
Villagers in Nharira claim that they were shocked to learn that acres of land, which had been intact for generations and reserved as pasture, had been allocated to outsiders, some from as far as Harare.
The villagers now find themselves at loggerheads with the new settlers, as they have no grazing land, forcing their livestock to trespass into the settlers’ homes and fields, further escalating tensions.
A visit to the area by NewsDay this week revealed that more than 60 homesteads have been established in the former grazing area, now named Mushure and Hatiugari villages, with construction of some homesteads still ongoing.
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However, some settlers who have been allocated land in the area are hesitant to begin construction due to the ongoing dispute, according to information obtained by NewsDay.
The stands in Mushure and Hatiugari villages measure between one and 10 hectares, with some occupants revealing to NewsDay that they acquired the land for prices ranging from US$500 to US$1 000, depending on the size of the stand.
The grazing land under dispute is strategically located at the centre of the area, surrounded by up to 30 villages, which relied heavily on it for livestock grazing.
The allocation of the land to new settlers has left the villagers facing a severe livelihood crisis, especially those who are into cattle rearing.
NewsDay also observed that the homesteads in the newly-set up villages are sited haphazardly, with no proper layout plan, indicating a lack of planning in the allocation of the land.
Concerns were also raised over the massive cutting down of trees as the settlers clear land to commence construction, with villagers fearing environmental degradation.
The matter has spilled to the courts, with the Chikomba RDC implicated in the case.
The scandal involving the sale of State land in Nharira has also sucked in some high-ranking Zanu PF officials and local traditional leader, Chief Musarurwa.
This comes after the government has warned traditional leaders and individuals involved in the illegal sale of State land that they will be prosecuted.
There have been several reports of Zanu PF officials and traditional leaders involved in shady land deals, leaving dozens of families landless across the country.
In a bid to resolve the dispute, five villagers from Nharira have dragged the Chikomba RDC, Chief Musarurwa, born Enos Masakwa, Headman Hokonya, Zanu PF provincial member Bester Jokonya and 10 alleged illegal settlers to the High Court, seeking an order to halt the sale of State land.
Furthermore, according to the summons filed at the High Court, the villagers, who are being represented by lawyer Kudzaishe Gama of Gama and Partners, are seeking an order to evict the illegal settlers from their ancestral land, effectively restoring their rights to the disputed land.
“The plaintiffs’ claims arise from the unlawful occupation by the first to 10th and 12th and 13th defendants of communal grazing land in Nharira communal area, which has been in the lawful possession of the plaintiffs and other members of the community for the past five decades,” the villagers stated in the summons.
“The 12th to 15th defendants illegally sold and allocated the communal grazing land to the said defendants. Plaintiffs became aware of the illegal occupation of the land and the identity of the defendants in 2024.”
However, in its plea, Chikomba RDC argues that the alleged grazing land falls within the boundaries of a gazetted rural service centre, adding that it had allocated the stands to villagers.
“Contrary to the allegation that the area which the first to 10th and 12th to 13th defendants were allocated stands is grazing land, the correct position is that the area in question falls within the boundary of a gazetted rural service centre,” Chikomba RDC said.
“The 11th defendant (Chikomba RDC), as it is entitled to do, duly allocated residential stands to the defendants stated herein.”
In a surprising twist, the alleged illegal settlers cited as respondents in the High Court case counter-attacked by dragging the applicants to the Chivhu Civil Court, seeking a peace order against them.
In an affidavit, filed at the Chivhu Civil Court, Headman Hokonya stated that the alleged illegal settlers were lawful residents of Mushure village.
The headman’s statement was contrary to Chikomba RDC’s claim in its High Court plea that the residents were allocated stands under a rural service centre.
A villager, 66-year-old Jefias Magwenzi, told NewsDay that the villagers are now uncertain about their future given that their land had been invaded
“This land was sacred to us,” he said.
“We protected it not only for our livestock but because it was rich in fruit and also had marshes which we believed helped in water availability in the area.”
Added Magwenzi: “Our ancestors grazed their livestock here, and it was a source of life for us. We cannot just sit back and watch as outsiders taking over our land.
“My heart aches at the rate at which trees are being cut. It’s a destruction of our treasure. We had all along taken care of this land and now it’s being destroyed before our very eyes.”
The future of hundreds of villagers in Chivhu hangs in the balance as they fight to reclaim their ancestral land.