Opinion / Columnist
Historical background of forceful evictions of villagers of Gota of Sipolilo
14 Jul 2024 at 17:26hrs | Views
The promulgation of land settlement Act of 1957 by Sir Godfrey Huggins’s government in Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe) witnessed the forceful evictions of Villagers from their ancestral land of Gota area of Sipolilo in Mash Central to Rengwe near Mutirikati Mountanins of Hurungwe (Magunje) Masholand West. The range of mountains is divisible into three cuts or parts hence the name Mutikirati after the locals failed to pronounce three cuts. Rengwe is near the present day Chidamoyo Mission Hospital.
The following village heads were evicated from Gota in Sipolilo to Rengwe in Hurungwe, they were Gwatura, Penyayi, Tsongora, Mushoshoma. Munhuwa, Mupamuchena, Gwaze, Chishato and others
The area which they were relocated is about 300 kilometers from Sipolilo and it was tsetse fly infested during that period. In addition it was a game reserve and people were prone to attack by wild animals. Crops were being destroyed by wild animals as elephants, baboons and wild pigs during that period.
Faced with these harsh conditions in Hurungwe of Mutirikati, some villagers returned to Sipolilo after spending two or more years and among those who returned to Sipolilo was my late father Mr Mabros Kamuzonde of Shava Totem were pushed and relocated further north of Gota area in the mountainous Bakasa area of Sipolilo (Guruve). These village heads included Gwatura, Mushoshoma, Tsongora, Penyayi, Munhuwa, Mupamuchena, Chishato, Kavhuratsivo, Gwaze and others. Most of them were descendants of Matare and Mutota.
Cultural beliefs and norms were reduced from a hill to a hump and finally to a depression. There is a close link between Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West due to historical background.
These are some of the factors which led to the waging of the second Chimurenga in the late 60’s until 1979 when the Lancaster Conference was convened to give birth to Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980 on the 18th of April.
The forceful evictions of people were not done in Sipolilo alone but throughout Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
The following village heads were evicated from Gota in Sipolilo to Rengwe in Hurungwe, they were Gwatura, Penyayi, Tsongora, Mushoshoma. Munhuwa, Mupamuchena, Gwaze, Chishato and others
The area which they were relocated is about 300 kilometers from Sipolilo and it was tsetse fly infested during that period. In addition it was a game reserve and people were prone to attack by wild animals. Crops were being destroyed by wild animals as elephants, baboons and wild pigs during that period.
Cultural beliefs and norms were reduced from a hill to a hump and finally to a depression. There is a close link between Mashonaland Central and Mashonaland West due to historical background.
These are some of the factors which led to the waging of the second Chimurenga in the late 60’s until 1979 when the Lancaster Conference was convened to give birth to Zimbabwe’s Independence in 1980 on the 18th of April.
The forceful evictions of people were not done in Sipolilo alone but throughout Southern Rhodesia (Zimbabwe)
Source - Givestar Kamuzonde
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