adminA BOGUS chief from Shurugwi who recently swindled land seekers of money and livestock allocating them land that belonged to Shurugwi Town Council and Unki Mine has been slapped with an 18-month jail term.
Vhukhusani Zingwe (56), of Kodobo area in Shurugwi, pleaded guilty to illegally settling people when he appeared before Shurugwi magistrate Ms Evia Matura. He was facing 43 counts.
Zingwe was convicted and sentenced to 18 months in prison.
Ms Matura, however, suspended six months from the sentence on condition that Zingwe restitutes the victims.
The State’s case is that during the period extending from 2006 to this year, Zingwe masqueraded as a chief of Kodobo area where he illegally resettled people on Impali Source Farm which was allocated to Unki Mine by Shurugwi Town Council for its housing project.
Zingwe allegedly received money varying between $20 and $50 from desperate land seekers so that they could be allocated land and in some instances they would give the “chief” livestock.
The matter came to light when the duped land seekers were served with eviction orders from the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement last month.
Zingwe was arrested by police after it emerged that he had illegally resettled the people.
Ms Betha Bore appeared for the State.
Meanwhile, Government will next week start the process of evicting over 10 000 illegal settlers in Midlands Province to pave way for land redistribution and continuation of the farm downsizing process.
Midlands lands officer Mr Joseph Shoko said the ministry would convene a meeting with the police, provincial lands committee and other stakeholders to start the evictions and subsequent redistribution of land.
“We are going to have a meeting with the provincial lands committee, police and other stakeholders pertaining to the illegal settlers,” he said.
Chief Nhema once resettled people in Linslade, Hashu and Albany farms in Chirumhanzu in August 2013.
The three farms were gazetted in 2000 and the Ministry of Lands resettled 302 families and issued them with offer letters.
Each beneficiary was allocated 20 hectares of land and part of the land was reserved as grazing areas.
Chief Nhema went on to write a letter asking the ministry to formalise the resettlement as well as issuing his illegally resettled families with offer letters arguing that the farms fell under his jurisdiction.
The land in question falls under the jurisdiction of the Gweru lands committee.
Online Reporter