adminThe Herald, 17 September, 1984
THE speedy intervention by a Cabinet minister to halt the eviction of 5 000 squatters from State land near Karoi has been praised by a local village headman, Cde Rixon Chigumbura.
The Minister of Local Government and Town Planning, Cde Enos Chikowore, at the weekend over-ruled a decision by the Karoi District Administrator, Cde Edward Ndoro, to clear the families from the land.
Cde Chigumbura, who is the village headman for Magunje about 21km from Karoi and prospects for gold at the Songalala mine on the State land, said the squatters, had been in the area since 1980, and many had made formal application for resettlement soon after their arrival.
He said not only had they been told to leave the land they were ploughing for this season’s crops at very short notice, but they had also been ordered to close down the two primary schools and the local stores.
Some of the families, said Cde Chigumbura, had cleared as much as 6ha of land for their farming, and most had built themselves brick houses, so a lot of work had already gone into developing the area.
If the people had been forced to return to their communal lands now, it would be two years before they became self-sufficient in food again, and would be dependent upon Government hand-outs till then.
How were they going to move all their cattle back to their communal lands in Masvingo and Midlands provinces, and what would they do with all their maize which they were now drying and which had yet to be bagged for delivery to the Grain Marketing Board? he asked.
Cde Chikowore had said in his statement he had ordered the squatter committee to stop the eviction of all squatters on State land because there was “some confusion that has to be settled”.
All squatters in Mashonaland West should stay where they were until further notice from the Ministry of Lands, Resettlement and Rural Development.
The 5 000 squatters are living at Bote, Kasimure, Chiyambi, Nyamahape, and Glen Apart Farm, and had been told to move out within a week to their previous communal lands.
LESSONS FOR TODAY
Squatting on State land in Zimbabwe is governed by a complex interplay of legal frameworks that do not fully protect squatters’ rights while reflecting broader socio-economic challenges faced by many citizens. The situation remains fluid as policies evolve in response to changing political landscapes and community needs.
Zimbabwe’s land tenure system has undergone significant changes since the land reform programme initiated in the late 1990s. The Government aimed to redistribute land from commercial white farmers to black Zimbabweans, and it led to widespread occupation of both private and state lands by individuals seeking agricultural opportunities or housing.
While squatters may claim rights based on their long-term occupation and use of the land, these rights are precarious. The law does not typically recognise informal occupancy as legitimate ownership. Squatters may face eviction at any time if authorities decide to reclaim the land for development or other uses.
Informal settlements have developed on the periphery of cities such as Chitungwiza, Epworth, Hopely and the capital Harare. In 2005, Operation Murambatsvina (Operation Drive out filth) evicted an estimated 700 000 people.
Sometimes squatting is used as a housing tactic by workers who have recently been made unemployed, such as miners from closed down mines or agricultural workers from farms bought up by the Government. In cases such as these, the authorities are more lenient and tolerate the squatters, for example at Insiza district near Bulawayo.
In some instances, local governments have attempted to regularise squatter settlements through informal agreements or by providing basic services like water and sanitation. However, these efforts are inconsistent and often depend on political will and available resources.
Online Reporter