MORE than 100 families in Masanga village, Mwenezi district in Masvingo province, are facing eviction to make way for a government-backed farming company; Zambezi.
Officials from the government recently visited the village in ward 13 where they served the villagers with eviction notices and ordered them to vacate.
“This is a blatant disregard for human rights,” said a villager, Netsai Nyoni.
“We were forced to sign forms without reading them.
“We had a meeting with the district development coordinator and an official from the Lands ministry before the elections, who told us to vote wisely because after the elections we would be evicted.”
Southern Eye on Sunday has established that the police are forcing the villagers to leave the land to pave way for the company.
The affected villages include Masangula, Mugwadi, Dzavamupapa, Vhivhi, Vhelemu, Chindi, and Chapanga.
“We have lived here for more than 20 years and where will we go?” said a villager on conditions of anonymity.
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“They said they are temporarily moving us to a place, but it is temporary until we figure out what to do. This is wrong, the government is corrupt.
“We talked with our Chief Chitanga, and he said that we should move out and let the government do what it wants to do on his land.”
Villagers claim they were not consulted and they are not sure whether they will receive adequate compensation.
“Development should not come at the cost of our livelihoods,” said Tendai Chihoro, another villager.
“The councillor, Zacharia Ndavani, was taken by force by the police and has no say on the issue.
“The Member of Parliament, Sheillah Chikomo, is working with the government to evict us.
“The said investor has never held a meeting with us or to engage us.
“People from Phase 1 had already been moved, now they are moving to Phase 2.”
Ndavani confirmed the development.
“What I can say is that there is a programme in Mwenezi East to evict people in Masangula village along Runde River,” he said.
“Nine investors were awarded licences by the government and so far Mr Mupereri of Zambezi Company is the one evicting people.”
Ndavani referred this publication to the district development coordinator and Lands ministry officials.
However, Chief Chitanga, born Feleni Chauke, said he was not aware that the villagers had issues.
“I do not know about that, and it has never been reported to my office,” he said.
“Tell those people of yours to come and report it.”
Provincial Affairs Ezra Chadzamira said that his office would look into the issue.
“The issues have not been reported to my office, but we will look into it,” Chidzamira said.
“Forced eviction is not acceptable in this country and I do not think the government can do such.”
Local pressure group, Community Tolerance Reconciliation and Development (Cotrad), condemned the eviction plans, saying Zambezi Company and Mwenezi Rural District Council must adhere to Section 74 of the constitution, which guarantees freedom from arbitrary eviction.
The section clearly states that no individual can be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without a court order.
The organisation said the incident was not an isolated occurrence, but rather part of a troubling trend in Zimbabwe, where forced evictions have previously resulted in the displacement of thousands.
The government must be held accountable for its actions and its historical negligence regarding land rights and human dignity.
Cotrad urged the international community to stand in solidarity with the people of Masangula.
“It is imperative that we call on the Zimbabwean government to halt these evictions immediately, provide proper consultation and compensation to affected families, and ensure that human rights are upheld in all development initiatives,” Cotrad said in a statement.
