News / National
Government, police descend on illegal settlers
07 Jun 2015 at 13:41hrs | Views
Over 10 000 illegal settlers in the Midlands Province face arrest following the expiry of the 31 May deadline which they were given by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement to vacate the land they invaded.
The ministry recently gave illegal settlers in Gweru, Shurugwi and Chirumhanzu districts, who were illegally allocated land by Chiefs Nhema, Gambiza and Chirumhanzu in the three districts' resettlement areas up to 31 May to vacate the land failure of which they would be arrested and dragged to court.
Police have a standing order to evict all illegal settlers and land invaders.
Midlands lands officer Mr Joseph Shoko said the ministry had engaged the police so that they descend on illegal settlers beginning this week.
"We have engaged police to assist us in evicting all illegal settlers who have stayed put after the expiry of the 31 May deadline which we gave them to vacate the land they were illegally allocated by some of the chiefs in the province.
"The evictions will start next week because we want to first move around all the places we have ordered people to vacate to see if they complied. Those who stayed put will be arrested and taken to court," he said.
Mr Shoko said Government policy was clear on who had the mandate to resettle people in resettlement areas considering that Government was yet to gazette new boundaries for chiefs.
"In February this year we had a meeting with chiefs who were being accused of having illegally resettled people on different farms in their respective districts. We gave them up to 1 February to remove all the people they resettled in those areas failure of which we will take remedial action instantly. There are about 8 000 illegal settlers in Shurugwi District and about 2 000 in Gweru and Chirumhanzu. These have to return to where they came from," he said.
Mr Shoko said in some instances, the settlers were made to pay $1 each to get a plot by one of the chiefs.
"We have a case where Headman Kunota from Shurugwi resettled 302 people in areas reserved as grazing land for livestock. These had to pay to get a plot. We are not really sure what the money was for but it is illegal to do that as far as we are concerned," he said.
Mr Shoko said there were people masquerading as chiefs in some resettlement areas who illegally resettled over 1 000 families in Shurugwi.
"There is a case which is before the courts where an individual masqueraded as a chief and illegally settled 1 000 people on State land. We were approached by some of the people who were illegally allocated land by the 'chief'. As a ministry we are going to evict all those people who were illegally resettled by this chief," he said.
Meanwhile, Vhukhusani Zingwe (56) of Kodobo, pleaded guilty to illegally settling people when he appeared before the Shurugwi magistrate, Ms Evia Matura. He is facing 43 counts.
Zingwe was remanded out of custody to Friday for trial.
The State's case is that during the period extending from 2006 to this year, Zingwe masqueraded as a chief of Kodobo area where he illegally resettled people on Impali Source farm which was allocated to Unki Mine by Shurugwi Town Council for its housing project.
Zingwe allegedly received money varying between $20 and $50 from desperate land seekers so that they could be allocated land and in some instances they would give the "chief" livestock.
The matter came to light when the duped land seekers were served with eviction orders from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement last month.
Zingwe was arrested by police after it emerged that he had illegally resettled the people. Ms Betha Bore appeared for State.
Chief Nhema also resettled people in Linslade, Hashu and Albany Farms in Chirumhanzu in August 2013.
The three farms were gazetted in 2000 and the Ministry of Lands resettled 302 families and issued them with offer letters.
Each beneficiary was allocated 20 hectares of land and part of the land was reserved as grazing areas.
Chief Nhema went on to write a letter compelling the ministry to formalise the resettlement as well as issuing his illegally resettled families with offer letters arguing that the farms fell under his jurisdiction.
The ministry recently gave illegal settlers in Gweru, Shurugwi and Chirumhanzu districts, who were illegally allocated land by Chiefs Nhema, Gambiza and Chirumhanzu in the three districts' resettlement areas up to 31 May to vacate the land failure of which they would be arrested and dragged to court.
Police have a standing order to evict all illegal settlers and land invaders.
Midlands lands officer Mr Joseph Shoko said the ministry had engaged the police so that they descend on illegal settlers beginning this week.
"We have engaged police to assist us in evicting all illegal settlers who have stayed put after the expiry of the 31 May deadline which we gave them to vacate the land they were illegally allocated by some of the chiefs in the province.
"The evictions will start next week because we want to first move around all the places we have ordered people to vacate to see if they complied. Those who stayed put will be arrested and taken to court," he said.
Mr Shoko said Government policy was clear on who had the mandate to resettle people in resettlement areas considering that Government was yet to gazette new boundaries for chiefs.
"In February this year we had a meeting with chiefs who were being accused of having illegally resettled people on different farms in their respective districts. We gave them up to 1 February to remove all the people they resettled in those areas failure of which we will take remedial action instantly. There are about 8 000 illegal settlers in Shurugwi District and about 2 000 in Gweru and Chirumhanzu. These have to return to where they came from," he said.
Mr Shoko said in some instances, the settlers were made to pay $1 each to get a plot by one of the chiefs.
"We have a case where Headman Kunota from Shurugwi resettled 302 people in areas reserved as grazing land for livestock. These had to pay to get a plot. We are not really sure what the money was for but it is illegal to do that as far as we are concerned," he said.
Mr Shoko said there were people masquerading as chiefs in some resettlement areas who illegally resettled over 1 000 families in Shurugwi.
"There is a case which is before the courts where an individual masqueraded as a chief and illegally settled 1 000 people on State land. We were approached by some of the people who were illegally allocated land by the 'chief'. As a ministry we are going to evict all those people who were illegally resettled by this chief," he said.
Meanwhile, Vhukhusani Zingwe (56) of Kodobo, pleaded guilty to illegally settling people when he appeared before the Shurugwi magistrate, Ms Evia Matura. He is facing 43 counts.
Zingwe was remanded out of custody to Friday for trial.
The State's case is that during the period extending from 2006 to this year, Zingwe masqueraded as a chief of Kodobo area where he illegally resettled people on Impali Source farm which was allocated to Unki Mine by Shurugwi Town Council for its housing project.
Zingwe allegedly received money varying between $20 and $50 from desperate land seekers so that they could be allocated land and in some instances they would give the "chief" livestock.
The matter came to light when the duped land seekers were served with eviction orders from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement last month.
Zingwe was arrested by police after it emerged that he had illegally resettled the people. Ms Betha Bore appeared for State.
Chief Nhema also resettled people in Linslade, Hashu and Albany Farms in Chirumhanzu in August 2013.
The three farms were gazetted in 2000 and the Ministry of Lands resettled 302 families and issued them with offer letters.
Each beneficiary was allocated 20 hectares of land and part of the land was reserved as grazing areas.
Chief Nhema went on to write a letter compelling the ministry to formalise the resettlement as well as issuing his illegally resettled families with offer letters arguing that the farms fell under his jurisdiction.
Source - sundaynews
