Over 100 Zanu-PF supporters invade game reserve

MORE than 100 Zanu PF supporters invaded Mazwi Game and Nature Reserve in St Peter's on the western outskirts of Bulawayo on Monday allegedly with the blessing of the party's provincial leadership.

Mazwi is owned by the Bulawayo City Council through the City of Kings Business Ventures.

The invasion follows a statement by President Robert Mugabe last week that whites should not be allowed to own land in Zimbabwe.

When Southern Eye visited the game reserve yesterday, more than 100 people, including women and children clad in Zanu PF regalia, were preparing food at the main shed of the game reserve. They told Southern Eye that they had seized the land saying council was keeping it on behalf of white people.

One of the invaders, who only identified himself as Dube, said they had been sent by their party's provincial leaders to occupy the land.

"Sizothatha amasimu (we are here to grab the land). We were given the go ahead to occupy this land by our leaders at provincial level and we are here for good," Dube said.

They said their occupation of the game and nature reserve was long overdue as they had been waiting for land for a long time and this time no one would remove them.

Last year, about 35 Zanu PF activists invaded the game reserve and partitioned some stands for themselves, but they were evicted by police. A source said Pumula police visited Mazwi and only recorded statements before filing a report for their commanders who will make a decision on the action the law enforcement agency would take.

"The Mazwi invasion is being dealt with by senior commanders and it will be up to them whether the police will evict the invaders. It's a sensitive issue," said the source.

Bulawayo mayor Martin Moyo said Mazwi belongs to council and those that had occupied it had no right to be there as people could not settle on municipal land haphazardly without proper planning and procedure.

"Our rangers told us that some people occupied the land after being given the go ahead by their party after we dealt with them last year. As council we will seek redress through the courts because the land needs to be distributed through correct procedures and not invasions," Moyo said.

However, Bulawayo Zanu PF provincial administrator Eliphas Mashaba distanced his party's provincial leadership from chaos unfolding at Mazwi saying their programmes did not include land invasions.

Mashaba said people could wear Zanu PF regalia, but that did not make them party supporters.