Military land row forces cattle onto highway

A LAND dispute involving the Mandebvu family, the Air Force of Zimbabwe and the Ministry of Lands has left more than 70 cattle and over 100 goats and sheep crossing the busy Gutu-Chivhu Road twice a day, raising fears of a potentially fatal accident.

At first light each morning near the Drifontein turn-off at the Sub-division of Eastdale Farm, herdsmen can be seen waving red flags to stop approaching vehicles as livestock make their way across the highway to grazing land borrowed from a neighbouring farmer.

The same hazardous exercise is repeated in the evening.

The livestock were previously kept on an approximately 175-hectare farm occupied by the Mandebvu family for more than two decades.

The displacement has now turned the daily movement of livestock into a dangerous encounter between cattle, pedestrians and motorists on one of the district's busy roads.

"This is an accident waiting to happen," said one resident who regularly witnesses the crossings.

"If a driver rounds the bend at speed before seeing the red flags, the consequences could be catastrophic."

Investigations by this publication established that about 70 cattle and more than 100 goats and sheep have been affected by the displacement.

Poultry has reportedly died, while fish ponds that previously provided an important source of income have been abandoned following the family's removal from the property.

The dispute centres on the approximately 175-hectare farm, which the Mandebvu family occupied during the early years of Zimbabwe's fast-track land reform programme.

Documents seen by this publication indicate that the family was allocated the property through an offer letter issued by the Ministry of Lands before subsequently being granted a lease.

For more than 26 years, the family developed the property into an agricultural enterprise, investing labour and resources into livestock, poultry and fish farming.

That arrangement changed about a month ago when, according to sources familiar with the matter, soldiers from the nearby Eastdale Air Base arrived at the property during the night and ordered the family to leave.

The soldiers allegedly occupied the farmhouse after the family was removed, with household belongings reportedly thrown outside.

Efforts to obtain comment from the Mandebvu family were unsuccessful.

Their removal has, however, raised questions among neighbours and other stakeholders about the circumstances surrounding the eviction and the legal process followed.

The Air Force of Zimbabwe maintains that the disputed farm falls within the coordinates of Eastdale Air Base.

If that position is correct, it raises questions over how land allegedly forming part of a military reservation was subsequently allocated under the land reform programme and later placed under a Government-issued lease.

The dispute therefore places the Ministry of Lands at the centre of efforts to establish the precise status of the property.

Stakeholders argue that the ministry should conduct an official survey to determine whether the farm falls within the military reservation or whether an administrative or surveying error occurred during the land allocation process.

A formal survey could establish the official coordinates of the disputed property, compare them with military reservation boundaries and reconcile them with existing allocation and lease records.

Such a process, observers say, would provide an objective basis for resolving the competing claims.

The dispute has also revived wider concerns about the security of tenure for beneficiaries of Zimbabwe's land reform programme.

Thousands of farmers occupy agricultural land under Government-issued offer letters, permits and leases.

Stakeholders argue that where State institutions subsequently raise competing claims over land allocated through Government programmes, there should be transparent mechanisms for resolving such disputes without undermining confidence in official tenure documents.

The case also raises questions over due process.

Legal practitioners note that disputes involving rights to immovable property ordinarily require judicial determination where competing claims cannot be resolved administratively.

Courts provide a forum for parties to present evidence, challenge competing claims and establish whether an eviction is legally justified.

It remains unclear whether court proceedings were instituted in this matter or whether a court order was obtained before the family was removed.

The dispute has also affected access to the area.

A sign reading "No Through Road" has reportedly been erected by the Air Force at the entrance to the road leading to the Mandebvu family's former homestead, effectively restricting access.

The development has fuelled concern among nearby residents about the future of other properties and facilities in the vicinity.

One of the issues causing anxiety is the position of Taigara Primary School, which residents say appears to fall within the same area now being claimed by the Air Force as part of Eastdale Air Base.

There is currently no indication that the school faces eviction or closure, but the uncertainty has prompted questions about how far the military's interpretation of the boundaries extends.

The dispute illustrates how unresolved boundary claims involving State institutions can have consequences extending beyond the immediate parties, potentially affecting roads, schools, neighbouring farms and surrounding communities.

Ironically, sources say the white commercial farmer who occupied the property before land redistribution co-existed with the nearby military installation without any publicly known dispute over the boundaries.

The current disagreement emerged after the property changed hands under the land reform programme.

Whether this was caused by changes in military requirements, revised surveys or historical administrative errors remains unclear.

Those questions can only be conclusively answered through official records and a verified survey.

For stakeholders, the way forward is therefore a transparent and evidence-based determination of the competing claims.

If the farm genuinely falls within a protected military installation, they argue that this should be established through official survey records and lawful procedures.

If it does not, the Mandebvu family, which has occupied and developed the property for 26 years under Government-issued authority, would have a strong basis to demand that its tenure rights be respected.

Ultimately, the dispute is about more than one family and one military installation.

It raises fundamental questions about the reliability of Government land allocations, the security of tenure and the obligation of different arms of the State to operate consistently.

When one Government institution allocates land and another subsequently claims that the same property forms part of a military reservation, citizens are entitled to expect the State to reconcile those competing positions.

For now, the most visible consequence of the unresolved dispute remains on the Gutu-Chivhu Road, where herdsmen stand with red flags to stop traffic as displaced livestock cross in search of grazing land.

It is a potentially dangerous manifestation of a dispute that now requires urgent administrative clarity and, where necessary, legal determination.

Questions sent to the Air Force of Zimbabwe's public relations department seeking comment on the allegations, the legal basis for the eviction, whether a court order was obtained and the status of the disputed land had not been answered by the time of going to press.

The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development had also not responded to questions on whether it intended to conduct a survey to establish the official coordinates of Eastdale Air Base and determine whether the disputed farm was lawfully allocated under the land reform programme.