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Masvingo Bureau
MORE than 600 villagers — including war veterans — occupied Chiredzi sugar cane plantations in Hippo Valley and Triangle estates on Monday, demanding that the government allocates them land.Police yesterday swooped on the group and arrested 169 people, with Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora saying the government would not allow the invaders to remain on the estates a day longer.
The estates are run by sugar giant Tongaat Hulett. The occupation of the estates came after a week of tensions between villagers led by war veterans and the Masvingo provincial leadership over failure to allocate sugar cane plots to 143 people who were issued with offer letters in December 2012.
This was after Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti said the offer letters, issued by former Governor Titus Maluleke, had been cancelled as they had allegedly been improperly issued. Tongaat Hulett is also under fire for allegedly dragging its feet on a pledge to develop 4,000ha of virgin land in Chiredzi to resettle those issued with offer letters.
But Dr Mombeshora yesterday denied ever cancelling the offer letters and insisted they were still valid, though he pointed out that he would not sanction irregular occupation of the estates.
derick.khumalo