23 farms ready for resettlement

Bulawayo Bureau
THE government has acquired 23 more farms, 18 of them in Matabeleland North and South provinces for resettlement purposes. According to General Notice of 2015, the land is being acquired lawfully in terms of Section 72 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe. “It is hereby notified that the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement, acquires for and on behalf of the state, the land identified in the schedule for purposes of agricultural settlement under section 72 (2) of the Constitution of Zimbabwe,” reads the notice.

“The ownership of the acquired land with full title therein vested in the state is with effect from the date of publication of this notice in the Government Gazette.”

Some of the farms which were acquired include Lot 6 and 7 of Maguga measuring 303,5140 and 303,5142 hectares respectively that are situated in Umzingwane district.

Other pieces of land acquired by the state in Umzingwane District are Springvale Estate measuring 1,355,0835 registered under African Distillers Limited and Subdivision 14 Woodlands measuring 114,2303 hectares and Lot 7 of Kirtons Farm measuring 101,5774 hectares.

In Umguza district, five farms were also gazetted and they include Umvutcha B measuring 316,2214 hectares, Lot 1 of Umguza Agricultural Lots of Umvutcha measuring 21,4843 hectares and Helenvale Block measuring 393,0028 hectares.

In Matobo District, Lushongwe of Last View (1,285,24 hectares), Matopo Vale (202,7447 hectares), were also gazetted.

The Minister Lands and Rural Resettlement Cde Douglas Mombeshora yesterday told The Chronicle that the acquired farms were gazetted as part of the land reform programme that started in 2000.

“This is an ongoing programme which started in 2000 under the Land Reform. There’s nothing new here. In fact, farms are acquired every day and redistributed because all agricultural land belongs to the state,” said Mombeshora.

More than 300 000 households have benefited since the government started redistributing land in 2000.

The government has warned those not utilising their pieces of land that they risk losing the land.