News / Local
Insuza villagers fight over land
15 Apr 2021 at 07:38hrs | Views
VILLAGERS in Insuza, Matabeleland North province, are embroiled in a nasty land dispute which has spilled to a traditional court.
The brawl started after villagers resolved to subdivide Khemutso Ncube's land in ward 11, village 1B and allocate part of it to Solomon Ngwenya.
At the end of March, the villagers met and agreed to divide Ncube's land so that part of it is given to Ngwenya.
The decision was made without Ncube's consent and he resisted the move.
"They did not respect us enough to ask if we agreed to the division of our land. Instead, they commanded that it must be divided," Ncube said.
"People in this village are so disrespectful. When I came here 20 years ago, there was nothing but a forest. My children and I cleared this very land with our own hands. I nurtured this land, put a fence around it and now that it's producing fruits of my own labour; they want to take it from me without even regarding my opinion. That will never happen."
Following Ncube's resistance, the villagers took the matter to the village head for resolution.
Ngwenya said he never asked for the land, but villagers were insisting that Ncube's land should be split so that they parcel part of it out to him.
"The people saw me clearing land where I wanted to start my own field and they stopped me saying the land I was clearing was not meant for farming.
"How or what made them to call for a meeting for my sake, I do not know," Ngwenya said.
Village head Lucky Sibanda said he was aware of the matter.
"My job is to address people's issues and this was one of the issues that came to me.
"As their leader, I had to help find a solution.
"I summoned all the villagers to a meeting in which Ncube stormed out of in anger, promising to take whoever wants to take his land to court," Sibanda said.
He said after the meeting, the matter was put to rest as Ncube refused to divide his land as he had a right to accept or reject the deal.
The brawl started after villagers resolved to subdivide Khemutso Ncube's land in ward 11, village 1B and allocate part of it to Solomon Ngwenya.
At the end of March, the villagers met and agreed to divide Ncube's land so that part of it is given to Ngwenya.
The decision was made without Ncube's consent and he resisted the move.
"They did not respect us enough to ask if we agreed to the division of our land. Instead, they commanded that it must be divided," Ncube said.
"People in this village are so disrespectful. When I came here 20 years ago, there was nothing but a forest. My children and I cleared this very land with our own hands. I nurtured this land, put a fence around it and now that it's producing fruits of my own labour; they want to take it from me without even regarding my opinion. That will never happen."
Following Ncube's resistance, the villagers took the matter to the village head for resolution.
Ngwenya said he never asked for the land, but villagers were insisting that Ncube's land should be split so that they parcel part of it out to him.
"The people saw me clearing land where I wanted to start my own field and they stopped me saying the land I was clearing was not meant for farming.
"How or what made them to call for a meeting for my sake, I do not know," Ngwenya said.
Village head Lucky Sibanda said he was aware of the matter.
"My job is to address people's issues and this was one of the issues that came to me.
"As their leader, I had to help find a solution.
"I summoned all the villagers to a meeting in which Ncube stormed out of in anger, promising to take whoever wants to take his land to court," Sibanda said.
He said after the meeting, the matter was put to rest as Ncube refused to divide his land as he had a right to accept or reject the deal.
Source - newsday
