Matobo Villagers have every right to demonstrate against evictions

The Restoration Of Human Rights Matabeleland South is this morning working with the people of Matobo District who are being evicted from their villages to make way for the expansion of a government farm which has been leased to private investors.

The disgruntled villagers last week made a notice to the police on their intention to demonstrate their displeasure at being evicted from their traditional villages of over a hundred years.

The villagers wanted to demonstrate their displeasure to the District Lands office in Maphisa and leave a petition of plea for the country's Presidency to intervene and protect them from the evictions.

Police have since barred the villagers from carrying out the demonstration citing reason that the police do not have enough manpower to man the demonstration.

Surprisingly, days before the scheduled day of the demonstration there is already an unusually high presence of bussed in heavily armed police patrolling at the quiet growth point and surrounding villages.

These innocent and otherwise peaceful villagers have tried to follow all the necessary procedures to have their case heard but there appears to be no going back on the evictions hence their decision to invoke their constitutional right to a peaceful demonstration.

The Restoration Of Human Rights Internationally strongly condemns the continued outlawing of citizens' right to peaceful demonstrations by the police and state machinery.

We are more disturbed by this particular case where a community of predominantly elderly citizens is barred from exercising their right to be heard as they cry for their right to land more so land of their forefathers in an independent Zimbabwe.

It is particularly sad to note that these villagers are being evicted from this land which they were settled in when the colonial settlers first arrived in the country and moved their forefathers from the fertile lands over a hundred years ago.

In an independent Zimbabwe, which is prioritising the land redistribution exercise and empowerment of the local people, it is very disturbing to see these villagers being put through the same process that their forefathers went through in the hands of the settlers.

The Restoration Of Human Rights is on the currently involved with the villagers helping them to get legal representation from Abammeli Human Rights Lawyers in Bulawayo to be accorded their right to demonstrate tomorrow and present their petition which we are confident will receive the best attention from the country's Presidency and they be given the right to remain on their land.

Inserted by The Restoration Of Human Rights Matabeleland South Province.