admin
Vusumuzi Dube, Senior Reporter
THE over 10 000 villagers from Chalet, Insiza District, who are facing possible eviction have made an emotional and desperate call to the Government and the ruling Zanu-PF to spare them the boot.
This comes amid allegations that two villagers have died in the past couple of weeks due to stress related illnesses after receiving the eviction notices. The affected area falls under Ward 22 in Insiza North constituency with all but a few homesteads in all 27 villages being ordered to vacate the area for illegally occupying the land.
Villagers have, however, called on the authorities to come to their aid, arguing that most of them were resettled in the area as far back as 1999 and have made significant investments, which would go up in smoke if they were evicted.
A couple of weeks ago, Zanu-PF Secretary for Administration, Dr Obert Mpofu castigated the evictions saying he had approached President Mnangagwa who had said evictions could only take place when alternative land to resettle those evicted had been identified.
However, villagers revealed that lands officers from the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Water, Climate and Rural Resettlement had made it clear to them that they would go ahead with the evictions as instructed by their parent ministry. Sunday News visited the area last Friday and found a gloomy atmosphere with dejected villagers caucusing as they plan a way forward.
“We are now living in fear for our investments. What puzzles us is we have a court order which we got in 2014 barring these evictions but the lands officers are saying that the order is not valid. Surely our Government should consider our plight,” said Cde Shame Mathe, who is the Zanu-PF’s ward 22 chairperson.
Online Reporter