Sydney Malunga's farm invaded

OVER 200 families from Lower Gweru have invaded late national hero Sydney Malunga's Debden Farm in Silobela, Kwekwe.

The farm is now owned by the freedom fighter's widow, Ms Molly Muhlwa. The families invaded the farm early this year and have stayed put despite being served with eviction notices by the Kwekwe Messenger of Court after Malunga's son, Sibangani, took the matter to court.

It is understood that the families in 2008 tried to get the blessings of Midlands Minister of State for Provincial Affairs Jason Machaya to grab the farm.

Machaya, however, did not approve of the invasion.

After the foiled attempt to lure Minister Machaya to approve the invasion, the families tried to engage the Malunga family so that they would be given part of the farm but their efforts were in vain.

On Tuesday last week a group of armed police officers went and destroyed makeshift homes that had been erected by the illegal settlers who had already started clearing the land in preparation for the summer cropping season.

However, the unrepentant villagers went on to build new makeshift houses and vowed to stay put.

When Sunday News went to Debden Farm, the makeshift houses, most of which were made of wooden poles, had been demolished while some were torched by police after Ms Muhlwa was granted an eviction order.

The villagers vowed to resist eviction, saying Government must give them part of the land since Ms Muhlwa had three other farms in the same area that they claimed were being underutilised.

Chairman of the committee of the families who invaded the farm, Mr Rodger Ncube said Malunga had four farms and the villagers wanted part of the land.

"We applied for land from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, and we also approached Minister Machaya and provincial lands officer Mr (Joseph) Shoko.

"We then moved into the farm so that Government speeds up the process after there had been delays in the response. There are about 200 families in this farm and we occupied a quarter of the farm. The owner of the farm Ms Muhlwa has three other farms Foxwood, Greenrock and another whose name I have forgotten," he said.

Mr Ncube said the villagers, most of whom are from Dimbamiwa, realised that the land was being underutilised after Ms Muhlwa allegedly leased the farm to a white farmer who was using it for cattle ranching.

"Ms Muhlwa and her son Sibangani were getting 27 cattle every year from the white farmers who were renting the farm. We saw that a greater part of the land was being underutilised yet we were running short of grazing land and our population is fast growing.

"We then engaged the family members and they promised to come back to us of which they did not until we resolved to move into the farm awaiting legal and procedural acquisition of land by Government," he said.

Mr Shoko confirmed that there were people from Lower Gweru who had invaded the late Malunga's farm.

"I have summoned the people and they promised to come. It is illegal to occupy a black owned farm. Government policy on land reform states that the indigenous farms shall be spared of the land redistribution process.

"Black owned land can only be acquired through a legal land acquisition process by Government where the land owners receive full compensation," he said.

Mr Shoko said the police had a standing order to evict all illegal farmers who occupy land without offer letters.