News / National
Resettled farmers face eviction
07 Feb 2016 at 15:30hrs | Views
87 farmers who were allocated land under the fast track agrarian reform programme at Greenland farm in Beatrice are facing eviction14 years after being given land.
The farmers, who have thriving maize and tobacco crops, are appealing to the government to intervene after they were served with eviction letters by the Permanent Secretary for Lands and Rural Resettlement.
The farmers are genuine holders of A1 offer letters and have built houses since they were resettled in 2002.
To them, the eviction might be an illegal act and all they pray for is for the government to intervene.
Others feel that allowing such evictions to take place almost a decade and half after the land reform will leave all resettled farmers in the country exposed to eviction at any given time.
A landmark ruling made by High Court judge, Justice Francis Bere in 2013 in a similar case outlawed the unilateral withdrawal of offer letters by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement.
Justice Bere cited that if offer letters would be withdrawn unilaterally by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, it would make almost every citizen of Zimbabwe who benefited under the land reform vulnerable.
The farmers, who have thriving maize and tobacco crops, are appealing to the government to intervene after they were served with eviction letters by the Permanent Secretary for Lands and Rural Resettlement.
The farmers are genuine holders of A1 offer letters and have built houses since they were resettled in 2002.
Others feel that allowing such evictions to take place almost a decade and half after the land reform will leave all resettled farmers in the country exposed to eviction at any given time.
A landmark ruling made by High Court judge, Justice Francis Bere in 2013 in a similar case outlawed the unilateral withdrawal of offer letters by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement.
Justice Bere cited that if offer letters would be withdrawn unilaterally by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, it would make almost every citizen of Zimbabwe who benefited under the land reform vulnerable.
Source - zbc
