Evictions backfire

 

Samuel Kadungure
Senior Reporter

THE eviction of 146 families from Fairfield Farms in Headlands, Makoni, subjecting children, pregnant women and the elderly to excessive weather conditions, has backfired as provincial authorities intervened to downsize the 1 500-hectare properties to accommodate the evicted farmers.

Pressure mounted on the local leadership to engage Government to regularise the settlements since the so-called Cheziya Kushinga Cooperative, which claims entitlement of Fairfiled 15 and 16 farms at Mufusire in Headlands, was now defunct.

Moreso, some of the evicted farmers have been dwelling at the farms for 40 years until four weeks ago when the Deputy Sheriff, in the company of anti-riot police, chucked them out following a High Court order sought by Mr Samuel Matonga, on behalf of the moribund co-operative.

It emerged that only 12 members of the cooperative are still alive, but inactive, and only resurfaced recently to engineer the eviction in order to lease the farms to a commercial white farmer in return for a fortune.

The Manica Post understands that a high level meeting involving key provincial stakeholders was held last week and recommended that the property – whose only discernible operational activity is a 150ha of eucalyptus plantations – be repossessed and downsized by the Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development to accommodate the 146 families and other citizens needing land.

Mr Matonga confirmed the return of the families on Wednesday and threatened to press contempt of court charges against them.

Already 26 of them have pending criminal charges stemming from an altercation with the Deputy Sheriff during their eviction.

“It is true that they were ordered to reoccupy their homes. We are still gathering more information to establish if those people who gave them that instruction have obtained a new court order,” said Mr Matonga, who refused to take further questions, and referred them to the co-operative chairman, Mr Joseph Mudede, who was not immediately available for a comment as his mobile number was unreachable.

ZANU PF Manicaland spokesperson, Cde Samson Matema quashed Mr Matonga’s claims that the reoccupation violated the court order.

Cde Matema said Mr Matonga had clandestinely taken over the farms, and Government and the ruling party, ZANU PF responded to his latest move by activating the relevant legal instruments and provisions through Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Minister, Dr Anxious Masuka.

“All the families have since moved back to their original places on the farm after Government repossessed the farm for future downsizing and rightsizing.

“As a party, we believe in equity with respect to land distribution, and we could not protect one farmer at the expense of 600 people. We are leaving no one and no place behind in anything and everything as a party and Government. There is one Matonga who had taken over the farm. He is the one who caused the eviction.

“The Minister (Dr Masuka) has the powers to repossess State land, and that is the route that we have activated. The court order in that regard becomes a legal nullity,” said Cde Matema.

Since the evictions three weeks ago, six pregnant mothers gave birth under deplorable conditions, exposing them and their new-born babies to an array of health dangers in the postnatal period.

The Madziro family, which resettled at the farm 1984 under Wiriranai Cooperative, a fortnight ago lost their son, Jeremiah (4) due to cold-related illness.

Among those who were exposed to harsh weather conditions were children, the elderly and women, who braved the torrential rains that recently pounded the area.

The families were living in plastic shacks without proper sanitation, clean water and food.

Investigations by The Manica Post showed that Fairfield 15 and 16 were initially allocated to Wiriranai Co-operative in the 1980s by the then Ministry of Cooperatives, but the beneficiaries could not produce tobacco for religious reasons as per Government expectations.

They were moved out of the farm to pave way for Cheziya Kushinga Co-operative in the 1990s.

However, the Wiriranai members resisted to move and constructed homesteads on the farm.

When Cheziya Kushinga Co-operative took occupation, they tried to evict the ex-Wiriranai members, but they resisted.

Meetings were held in 2007 where it was agreed that the 32 ex-Wiriranai members be regularised and issued with five-hectare permits.