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Manicaland provincial administrator, Mr Fungai Mbetsa said of the 4 321 households that should be relocated, Arda Transau could only accommodate 1 800 households.
Mr Mbetsa said this while making a presentation at a capacity building workshop for members of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Mines and Energy in Vumba on the relocation of the affected communities.
“It is a challenge that we have to address. Mutare district does not have adequate land for the relocation,” said Mr Mbetsa.
He said Government’s desire was to accommodate the villagers as close to Mutare as possible so that their culture is not eroded.
Mr Mbetsa said as Government they were not happy with the pace at which companies extracting diamonds at Marange were constructing an irrigation scheme at Arda Transau.
“We are concerned with the delay in implementation of an irrigation scheme because of lack of consensus on the funding mechanism as it has to be implemented by all parties in an integrated manner,” he said.
The irrigation scheme, he said, would result in sustainable livelihoods for relocated villagers as opposed to the food stuff that they were periodically getting from the mining companies.
He said while Government had given minimum benchmarks for companies assisting villagers, some firms were going an extra mile while others had not, something that would create disparities among families.
“One firm had tarred roads for the people it has relocated while others have not,” he said.
He said two firms were failing to complete upgrading a school on the farm, a situation that has resulted in children travelling longer distances to go to the nearest learning institution.
While the valuation of the villagers’ homesteads and properties were made before demolition, compensation was still to be made in accordance with the Government’s standing guidelines.
“Some had good houses worth even US$100 000, the challenge is how do we equalise that because they would be saying the new houses are not worth my standard, these are challenges we still have to address,” he said
Some legislators wanted to know the legal status of the houses built for the villagers.
“Is it a lease, or they are going to be given title deeds?” said Mutasa South MP, Mr Misheck Kagurabadza.
The legislator also complained that people at Arda Transau were not being allowed to exercise political rights.
He said a senior retired army official was stationed at the farm to vet strangers.
Mr Mbetsa, however, dismissed the claims as unfounded.
Online Reporter