‘Mugabes barring us from farm, not state’
HENDRICKS CHIZHANJE | 12 February, 2012 20:05
More than 1000 families face eviction from a farm in Mashonaland Central to
create room for the expansion of farming ventures allegedly sponsored by
President Robert Mugabe and his wife, Grace.
The families moved to the farm during the land-grab exercise.
The evictions are being spearheaded by Ignatius Chombo, the Minister of
Local Government, Urban and Rural Development. Chombo directed one of his
district administrators to evict the families from Arnold Farm in the
fertile Mazowe farming area, about 25km north of Harare, and to settle them
at Lazy 7 Farm in the same area.
Chombo’s ministry has justified the evictions as necessary to create room
for the revival of a game park. Manzou used to be a private game park, but
it was seized by the government and passed on to locals to settle on.
“Please be advised that as people residing at Manzou Game Park, you are now
being moved to Lazy 7 farm in Mazowe District. The movement will be done in
phases, but, in the meantime, people residing at Arnold Farm will start
moving into the new area.
“The decision came after a thorough consideration by the government of the
need to revive the game park as well as to consider your need for land,”
reads part of a letter written to locals by the district administrator,
identified only as S Nyakudya.
Nyakudya, who is also the chairperson of the Mazowe district lands
committee, copied the letter to Martin Dinha, the governor of Mashonaland
Central.
The Mazowe families have protested against the evictions, which they say
come at a time when their crops are ripening and and they are left without
compensation for developments on their plots.
Some of the families dispute Nyakudya’s account and claim they are being
evicted to pave way for the expansion of the Mugabes’ farming ventures,
which include a cattle ranch. They say it is the Mugabes who are planning to
revive the game park, and not the government as claimed. Four years ago,
High Court Judge Ben Hlatshwayo lost a farm to the Mugabes when they annexed
it.