Villagers, urban developers clash over land
May 19, 2013 in Local, News
Villagers from Goromonzi’s Yafele area have said their livelihoods are under
threat following the encroachment of urban developments into their area.
Report by Jennifer Dube
The residents have formed Simukai Rural Residents Trust, a platform through
which they were fighting for land allocation and utilisation programmes
which do not disturb communal farmers’ lives.
“Simukai was registered at a time when residents of communal villages within
the vicinity of Goromonzi district offices woke up to the realisation that
their farming land was being seized for the development of a new residential
peri-urban suburb,” the Trust’s coordinator Masimba Manyanya said. “Up to
now it is not apparent as to who signed away the communal farming lands in
Yafele and also other surrounding villages.”
Manyanya said communal farmers in Yafele lost important grazing lands and an
annual production of over 4 000 kilogrammes of maize.
“The loss of farming land spar-ked a cumulative downward cycle spiral,”
Manyanya said. “There was the intensive utilisation and degradation of small
homestead based farming plots, household incomes plummeted and food
insecurity and poverty worsened.
“Soon households were scrounging for income for basic household needs such
as food, health and school fees.”
Facing numerous problems including expanding population needs, massive
unemployment, dwindling incomes, HIV and Aids, Simukai at some point
mobilised for non-farm business projects such as, mushroom growing but these
collapsed at conception or midstream due to lack of training.
“Despite a succession of consultations since the issue of land seizures
exploded in Yafele village 13 years ago nothing really positive or
substantial has materialised,” Manyanya said.
“Communal residents are in a perpetual state of anguish and anxiety as new
suburban stands are being pegged on a daily basis, encroaching on the little
land we still have as the sprawling greater Harare encircles and overtakes
us.”