Illegal settlers take over communal areas

Illegal settlers living in most rural parts of Mashonaland West Province are now outnumbering genuine home owners, Government reports have revealed.

Statistics for Mhondoro-Ngezi and Sanyati districts showed that most of the illegal settlers were artisanal miners and villagers from Gokwe in the Midlands Province moving in search for greener pastures.

The artisanal miners that are erecting squatter camps on gazetted land are alleged to be the source of numerous land disputes in the areas.

Briefing Mashonaland West Provincial Affairs Minister Mary Mliswa-Chikoka on the state of Mhondoro Ngezi land, district lands officer Mr Shepard Mutandiri said the area was battling illegal settlers, mostly artisanal miners, occupying gazetted land.

“In Zedale, there are 800 illegal settlers against 500 legal ones, in Lonekope 150 illegal settlers against 124 legal ones, Venice 476 illegal with 70 legal and Bannerlands 160 illegal settlers against 56 legal,” he said.

“There is also the Claw Dam area which has 48 illegal settlers who are alleging that they were given the green light to settle there by political leaders.”

A similar report from Sanyati district disclosed that most illegal setters were invading farms owned by resettled farmers.

“At Queensland, there are 250 illegal settlers, Dunroaming (300), Wellscort (60) and Raund there are 100 people settled illegally. The largest number is coming from Gokwe,” reads the report.

In response, Minister Mliswa-Chikoka said Government was going to evict all illegal settlers from State land and there would be no sacred cows.

She said Government would leave no stone unturned in dealing with the situation, while treating each case separately as others had genuine cases.

“The time is up for illegal settlers,” said Minister Mliswa-Chikoka.

“There will be no scared cows in the eviction exercise. In some areas politicians might have relocated people in a bid to canvass for votes. That anomaly should be corrected.”

According to land officials in the two districts, the eviction of illegal settlers was expected to have started over two weeks ago, but was delayed by the violent disturbances perpetrated by the MDC-Alliance and its allies.