adminSamuel Kadungure Farming Reporter
A WOODLOT dispute pitting an ex-police officer and nine other plot holders is threatening the harvesting and curing of the 2015/16 tobacco at Lawrencedale 24A in Headlands.
Some plot holders are accusing ex-cop, Mr Freddy Mapako of abusing his status and networks to deny them access to the community property.
This is despite the fact that Mr Mapako has been underutilising his plot while such farmers like Mr Bob Makombe has planted 15 hectares of irrigated tobacco which is at the reaping stage.
Mr Makombe, a graduate from Blackforb, has drilled boreholes for irrigation purposes and increased his hectarage by leasing underutilised land in the area.
He is harvesting the first crop, but was forced to incur additional cost to purchase fuel wood after Mr Mapako barred him and other farmers from using the community plantation.
Mr Mapako’s actions are despite the fact that all plantations in A1 farms were set aside for community benefit by Government.
Mr Mapako allegedly grabbed the 20-hectare woodlot.
All farmers were allocated five hectares in 2002.
Problems started in 2010 when the then chairperson of the Makoni Lands Committee, Mr Cosmas Chiringa, extended Mr Mapako’s plot to 20,16ha.
Mr Mapako went on to claim the new boundary encircling the contentious woodlot and is now denying other farmers access to the gum plantation.
The tobacco boom relies on fuel wood and the Forestry Commission encourages farmers to use gum trees to cure tobacco and estimates that tobacco farmers are responsible for 25 percent of the country’s deforestation.
Substantial amounts of indigenous trees like mutondo, mupfuti, musasa and muunze trees, which have become endangered species, are preferred wood-fuel because they are cheap and readily available in the communities, ignoring the ecological consequences.
“We are having a serious problem with Mapako who is denying us access to the community woodlot. He is bullying and intimidating us and in most cases he uses a gun to chase other farmers away from the plantation.
“He is in the habit of cutting down the gum trees from the community plantations for sale. The plantation is not his; it was set aside for the community. All we want is justice, not greediness. We must share and use it sparingly, but he is refusing. He wants to continue selling the wood for personal gain,” said Mr Makombe.
Another farmer, Mr Norman Pfumayemeso, said Mapako was in the habit of chasing them away.
“He recently threatened to shoot us using a gun, but we managed to disarm him. He is not productive, and just wants to frustrate those of us working hard to produce. We are appealing to the provincial lands committee to intervene because he is refusing to take advice from the district committee.
“They should intervene and save A1 farmers from his bullying. We are like pawns in his hands. He is exploiting his status as an ex-police officer to intimidate us. He is refusing to co-exist with the rest of us,” said Mr Pfumayemeso.
In an affidavit deposited at Rusape Magistrates’ Court, Mr Mapako argued that Messrs Makombe, Nyamayemeso, Meza Kampira and one Chityura be interdicted “from harvesting gum trees from my plot”.
“I was allocated land in 2002 and it was five hectares. The plot was subsequently extended to 20,16ha by former District Administrator, Mr (Cosmas) Chiringa, who was accompanied by the lands surveyor, Ms Ivy Chairuka. These people are continuing to harvest my gum trees and aver that the gum plantation belongs to the community. I am the one who is suffering because the gum plantation is being destroyed. They are using chain saws which destroy all the seedlings and it is now becoming an open space without any gum trees,” argued Mr Mapako.
However, Mrs Chairuka disputed Mr Mapako’s assertions and insisted that while it was true that his plot was extended, the extended area does not include the gum plantation.
“Some years back, in the company of Mr Chiringa, we went to Mrs Mupeti’s farm after she made an application for extension of the farm. During the exercise of the field extension, Mr Chiringa then said we should also extent Mr Freddy Mapako’s field since they worked together during the war.
“Originally his field was five hectares and it was extended to 20ha, but it did not include the entire gum plantation as it belongs to the community. Älso the map clearly shows that the gum plantation is outside his plot though he has some gum trees that can be counted,” she added.
The district lands officer, Mr Phibion Chitida, weighed in to rubbish Mr Mapako’s claims.
“All the gum plantations in A1 farms belong to the community. Every household is entitled to benefit from the plantation. There is no individual who monopolises use of gum trees for his own use. If there is anybody who is abusing community property, he must be brought to book. If there are any differences, they must be referred to the relevant authority,” said Mr Chitida.
“This letter serves to authorise the Lawrencedale 24A A1 farmers to cut down gum tree for purpose of curing tobacco. The land committee for Makoni District is well aware of the problems concerning the gum plantation in Lawrencedale 24A. However, there is an indisputable portion of the plantation which can be used for the time being until the issue has been resolved once and for all. There is need to engage the parties, Mr Mapako and Mr Ruswa who need to benefit from the community resources as the plantation remains community property,” said Mr Chitida.
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