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CCC leader Nelson Chamisa has pledged to ensure that people in Chilonga and Chikombedzi in Chiredzi District are not evicted from their ancestral lands if he is voted into office in the upcoming presidential election.
Chamisa was in Chiredzi on Wednesday for a political rally but was blocked by the police from addressing his supporters.
Posting on Twitter, Chamisa said the people of Chilonga and Chikombedzi should be given security of tenure on their ancestral land. He wrote:
<blockquote>
I am in Chilonga and Chikombedzi rural. My message is simple; there can be no true independence for everyone without land ownership rights, title deeds and development.
The people of Chilonga need their land. The underdevelopment here is extreme! We will fix this! A New Great Zimbabwe loading. Land and title deeds for everyone.
</blockquote>
Last year High Court gave President Emmerson Mnangagwa authority to evict about 12 000 villagers in the Chilonga area to pave the way for a lucerne project by Dendairy.
Livison Chikutu, a village head under Chief Chilonga was arrested for inciting violence at the chief’s homestead in April last year and was later acquitted by a Chiredzi magistrate.
Chikutu’s acquittal came after prosecutors failed to prove that he led a demonstration and incited violence at Chief Chilonga’s homestead against the Chilonga Lucerne project being funded by Dendairy, a Zimbabwean dairy company.
Chikutu was on ZW$5 000 bail since his arrest for allegedly masterminding a protest by the villagers.
The villagers even protested during a visit by Vice President Constantino Chiwenga in 2020.
Shangaan locals have vowed that they will not be moved by any form of government intimidation or interference.
More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a>

Pindula News

Chamisa Promises To Uphold Chilonga Villagers' Land Rights

Villagers in the Chilonga area in Chiredzi have vowed to resist eviction from their ancestral land after the Government gave their land to a private company for a lucerne grass project.
Cabinet Ministers claim the grass project and irrigation scheme in Chilonga will earn the country US$50 million per annum and potentially feed 5 000 people.
But critics say 12 000 people from the Shangaan ethnic group will lose their land when the project is implemented.
Addressing journalists in Harare on Wednesday, Livison Chikutu, one of the villagers facing eviction, said they would rather die than vacate their land. Said Chikutu:
<blockquote>
There is no promise on the compensation, they just want to grab (our land) and run away.
They just want to (take) our land, grab and go forever, then someone comes the next day saying it’s not your land.
They are doing nothing; they are talking a lot of lies saying they did door-to-door consultation, yet we are the settlers and we did not see such a thing.
We can’t let our land be taken in that way, we have seen it before and there was no compensation.
…. So we are saying, it’s better they come and just shoot us so we die at once than for us to be told to leave this land and resettle somewhere else.
</blockquote>
The Government invoked the Communal Land Act to evict the Chilonga villagers.
Sections 4 and 6 of the Communal Lands Act vests rural land in the hands of the President.
Meanwhile, the Shangaan people claim they have lived on the targeted lands for more than five hundred years.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/chilonga-people-vow-to-die-for-their-land/">NewZimbabwe.com</a></h4>

Chilonga Villagers Vow To Resist Eviction To The Death

A community leader in Chilonga, Chiredzi District, who is leading local people in opposing the setting up of a lucerne farming project in the area was arrested on Wednesday and appeared in court on Thursday.
Livison Chukuti’s arrest is viewed by the Shangaan community as persecution for their resistence to the lucerne grass project.
The project will displace thousands of Shangaan families from their ancestral land.
Chikutu was charged with inciting the community to commit violence and disorderly conduct.
He appeared before Chiredzi magistrate Misheck Brian Munyaradzi and was granted $5 000 bail. He will appear before the same court on 29 June.
Chituku is being represented by lawyer Rita Chakauya of Muzenda and Chitsama Legal Attorneys.
Speaking to The NewsHawks after his court appearance, Chikutu said he was picked up by detectives from the police Law and Order section. He said:
<blockquote>
I was picked up by detectives near my home on Wednesday and l was shocked by the development which came some weeks after a protest by villagers at the chief’s place.
I was not involved in mobilising the community, the charges are frivolous and I am denying them.
Detectives asked me to pay a fine and I refused, they released me in the evening after the intervention of Chakauya who offered me free legal services.
I appeared before the court on Thursday morning and the magistrate granted me bail.
I was touched by the support shown by community leaders from Chilonga who came to the court in large numbers and it is clear that we will not compromise our position against the project by Dendairy in our area.
</blockquote>
Meanwhile, a traditional leader from Chilonga told The NewsHawks that the arrest of Chikutu will negatively impact the ongoing engagements between Dendairy, the Government and the Shangaan community. Said the traditional leader:
<blockquote>
There was a time our area was flooded with mysterious people whom we suspected to be state security agents and that was meant to intimidate us.
This latest development which saw the arrest of Chikutu is persecution targeted at individuals who are leading the Shangaan people in resisting the lucerne project which will affect our livelihoods.
We were evicted from Triangle and Hippo Valley to pave way for sugarcane farming, but we were not compensated and only a few of us were given sugarcane plots.
We cannot allow this project to take off at our expense again since the investor and government are not giving us all details about the project.
</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://thenewshawks.com/resistance-leader-faces-trumped-up-charges/">The NewsHawks</a></h4>

Chilonga Lucerne Project Resistance Leader Arrested

The Constitutional Court (ConCourt) Tuesday heard an application filed by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) on behalf of some Chilonga villagers who are challenging the barring of rural dwellers from owning land in rural areas. 
  
The Chilonga villagers’ lawyer, advocate Tendai Biti, who is also a co-deputy president of the opposition Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC), told judges that barring rural dwellers from having title to their land is a racist practice.
Olivia Zvedi from the Attorney General (AG)’s Office told the ConCourt Judges that the Chilonga community, which the government wanted to move so as to set up an irrigation or lucerne grass production project, will not be moved from their ancestral land.
Zvedi also said there is a need for a new system for communal land tenure in Zimbabwe.
The Chilonga villagers want Sections 4 and 6 of the Communal Lands Act to be declared unconstitutional. 
Biti questioned why one cannot be allowed to own ancestral land in Chiendambuya but be allowed to own land in Borrowdale. He says this is an assault on the dignity of Africans.
The villagers are arguing that the intended eviction is an unlawful deprivation of their right to property as enshrined in Section 71 and Section 72 of the Constitution arguing that no person may be compulsorily deprived of their property.
The government is arguing that Section 4 and Section 6(1)(b) of the Communal Land Act are not in breach of the Constitution and that there is nothing wrong with endowing communal land to the State President and this is done to ensure orderly development.
It also argues that the agricultural venture would generate foreign currency, rural development, provision of basic amenities like clinics, schools and better housing and the establishment of an economic hub in Chilonga.
<h2>More: <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/">Pindula News</a></h2>

Chilonga Land Saga: Villagers Challenge Laws Barring Them From Owning Land

Villagers in Chilonga, Chiredzi District, have petitioned the Government to seek further clarity on the area that will be covered by the proposed irrigation project.
Vast tracks of land in Chiredzi will be put under lucerne grass resulting in the displacement of over 12 000 people from communal land.
In January this year, the villagers made an application at the High Court challenging their pending eviction which was dismissed by Justice Joseph Mafusire.
They wanted the High Court to set aside sections 4 and 6(1)(b) of the Communal Lands Act, arguing that the two sections were unconstitutional.
The villagers subsequently wrote to Local Government minister July Moyo, Agriculture minister Anxious Masuka, district development coordinator and the Chiredzi Rural District Council, seeking clarity over the matter. The petition, dated 11 February reads in part:
<blockquote>
There is no certainty or clarity as to which specific area is likely going to be affected by the proposed irrigation scheme.
We are reliably informed that a delegation from the Ministry of Local Government had a meeting with one July Guvele, in which the latter was tasked to call a meeting for village heads.
Guvele is neither a village head nor a chief. We, the petitioners, submit that your office must ensure that proper communication procedures are followed and due notices for any consultations that will be conducted should be given.
The consultation meetings, which have already been done, have been done in a partisan manner.
We are reliably informed that ZANU PF district coordinating committee members were invited to these meetings in their capacities as ZANU PF members.
There is no basis whatsoever for inviting ZANU PF members in their offices’ capacities to the meetings.
</blockquote>
In February 2021 the Government revealed plans to displace the villagers from their ancestral land after it passed Statutory Instrument (SI) 50 of 2021.
The regulations set aside 12 940 hectares of communal land in the area for a lucerne project by Dendairy, leaving the villagers unsettled.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/chilonga-eviction-saga-rages-on-as-villagers-petition-gvt/">New Zimbabwe</a></h4>

Chilonga Villagers Seek Clarity Over Irrigation Scheme

Seven people have drowned during this rainy season while trying to cross the flooded Runde River.
Three people, including a three-year-old baby, died after the Toyota Hilux car they were travelling in was swept away by the flooded Runde River at Chilonga Bridge this Monday.
The vehicle that was travelling to Chilonga business centre from <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Chiredzi">Chiredzi</a> had ten passengers on board. Said a villager:
<blockquote>
This accident is not sitting well with us. We have many unanswered questions because this bridge is slowly turning into a death snare that people are just dying here. So far seven have died during this rainy season and it’s troubling us.
“We were there when the incident occurred and we tried to rescue all the passengers, unfortunately, two drowned and we also couldn’t find a two-year-old baby. We thought the child was trapped under the car so when we moved the car yesterday, we still couldn’t find the child.
</blockquote>
As the <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Zimbabwe_Republic_Police">Zimbabwe Republic Police (ZRP)</a> Buchwa sub-aqua unit was conducting a search operation for the body this Wednesday, a member of the team, Sergeant Rillford Rimai aged 34 drowned in the river and his body was retrieved last night at around 7. pm. 
Police national spokesperson, Assistant Commissioner <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Paul_Nyathi">Paul Nyathi</a> confirmed the incident:
<blockquote>
Yes, I can confirm that one of our officers drowned in the river while searching for the missing juvenile. His body was retrieved last night. Police are still searching for the missing juvenile. It’s really sad. 
</blockquote>
Callisto Gwanetsa, legislator for Chiredzi South constituency promised to push for the bridge to be rehabilitated under the government’s emergency road rehabilitation programme (ERRP).
Meanwhile, the Zimbabwe Republic Police has urged the public not to cross flooded water bodies. 
More: <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/runde-river-claims-four-lives-this-week/">ZBC News</a>

Seven People Including A Member Of Police Sub-aqua Unit Drown In Runde River

The government has identified over 20 000 hectares of land for a massive irrigation project in Chiredzi which authorities say will improve livelihoods and ensure the country is food secure.
The Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement, Dr Anxious Masuka said the government had interacted with the local people. He said:
<blockquote>Today we are doing a tour to see the Buffalo Range, Banga and Chilonga interacting with the leadership that they can also be part of this exciting development where they will be able to get increased incomes from participating in commercial agriculture, facilitated by these massive irrigation development projects.</blockquote>
Meanwhile, Local Government and Public Works Minister, July Moyo said individuals affected by the irrigation scheme will be compensated. He said:
<blockquote>The project mainly is going to benefit community members and clause 12 of the communal lands act says that an individual affected by this development is going to be compensated despite those people being beneficiaries.</blockquote>
Masvingo Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister, Honourable Ezra Chadzamira the government was pleased with the programme and authorities were going to engage “the relevant stakeholders so that we work as a team with the same vision.”
Masvingo province has more than 50 percent of the country’s dam water and the government is working on an integrated development plan to ensure full utilisation of the dam water.
Masvingo is a dry area, therefore, the province has been perenially affected by drought and hunger.
The government intends to irrigate about 350 000 hectares of land nationwide within the next three years.
The alleged projects come amid controversy over the planned eviction of Chilonga people to pave way for Dendairy’s lucerne grass project.
Some stakeholders are opposed to the proposed eviction of the people from their ancestral lands saying it violates human rights laws.
More: <a href="https://www.zbcnews.co.zw/govt-identifies-land-for-irrigation-project-in-chiredzi/">ZBC News</a>

Govt Identifies 20k Hectares For Irrigation In Chiredzi

MDC Alliance Vice President, Tendai Biti has reiterated that the Dendairy Lucerne grass project in Chilonga, Chiredzi was never stopped as others thought.
Following the issuance of Statutory Instrument (SI) 72A of 2021 that announced the repealing of SI 50, many thought the government had succumbed to pressure from stakeholders and was now stopping the project.
Statutory Instrument  50 of 2021 had legalized the eviction of Chilonga people from their ancestral lands in Chiredzi. Commenting following the repealing of SI 50, Biti said the development was inconsequential since “land was taken away in terms of SI 51 of 2021. That has not been repealed. <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/03/19/zim-govt-repeals-si50-which-legalised-chilonga-evictions/">So nothing has changed.”</a>
Posting on Twitter this Friday, the Harare-based lawyer reiterated that the government never stopped the project. <a href="https://twitter.com/BitiTendai/status/1377887207659335681">He said:</a>
<blockquote>The project was not stopped. SI 51 of 2021 has not been repealed. Right now the Hlengwe Shangani community is being brutalized with Masvingo Provincial Minister Ezra Chadzamira on rampage.</blockquote>
Some stakeholders opposed the planned eviction of Chilonga people saying it was a violation of both domestic and international human rights laws hence the need for the project to be stopped.
Chilonga residents who were resisting the move said they were aware that they will never be compensated as the case was with victims of Tugwi-Mukorsi floods, and Chidzwa people.
A number of Chilonga local leaders appeared on ZBCTV, the state broadcaster refuting claims that residents were opposed to the evictions saying there were some elements misinforming people to create confusion.
Their remarks suggested that the project was ongoing as initially planned.

Dendairy's Lucerne Grass Project In Chilonga Was Never Stopped - Biti

Zim Govt Repeals SI50 Which Legalised Chilonga Evictions

The real reason why the government is trying to evict villagers in Chilonga Village in Chiredzi is that surveys conducted in the area 7 decades ago and in 2019/2020 discovered that there are vast deposits of Kimberly diamonds in the area, The NewsHawks exclusively reports.
A village head who spoke to the publication told the publication that the Lucerne grass project was just a cover story:
<blockquote>We are watching the issue closely, but we can tell you that this grass project is just a cover so that these guys, through 
their proxy Dendairy in this case, can extract minerals in this area.
While Dendairy will be producing grass, they will be mining. We have to ask ourselves why they have come all the way from the Midlands, leaving other provinces where there is a lot empty land, to establish the grass project here; an area they hardly care about.</blockquote>
A well-placed source in the Ministry of Mines told the publication that the area that was allocated to Dendiary was surveyed and minerals were discovered:
<blockquote>The maps depict areas with deposits of coal, diamonds, scheelite and quartz in Chiredzi. The stretch runs from Save in Chiredzi North where copper mines like Cobra Mine, which are now closed, once operated from. The other area covers coal mining in Chisambiji which again is in Chiredzi North constituency.
The belt stretches from Save to Chipinda, which is in Gonarezhou, down to Masivamele and Makhosiya on the banks of the Runde River. This is the area which Dendairy has been allocated.</blockquote>
The diamonds in the area were supposedly first discovered in 1950 by De Beers according to the publication:
<blockquote>A survey by leading South African diamond mining giant De Beers in the 1950s as well as an aeromagnetic exploration conducted by local firm Aero Surv Zimbabwe, in partnership with South African firm Xcalibur Airborne Geophysics, between 2019 and 2020 revealed vast deposits of kimberlite diamonds and gold in the Chilonga area.</blockquote>
The project of mining in Chilonga was reportedly first pitched to President Mugabe in 2016, but he reportedly refused saying the Tshangani people could not be removed from their ancestral land for a project that would benefit a few individuals according to the publication.
Source: <a href="https://thenewshawks.com/">NewsHawks </a>

Diamonds The Real Reason For Chilonga Evictions - Report

A group of Civil society groups in Zimbabwe has told the government to immediately withdraw the Statutory Instrument that legalises the eviction of Chilonga <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Chiredzi">people in Chiredzi.</a>
The planned eviction of Chilonga people is meant to pave way for the production of lucerne grass by Dendairy, the second-largest dairy producer in Zimbabwe. Below is a joint statement by civil society organissations.
<blockquote>We, the undersigned <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/03/06/magistrate-grants-interim-order-barring-eviction-of-chilonga-villagers/">civil society organisations, stand in solidarity</a> with the Chilonga Community In Chiredzi, facing unlawful eviction by the government of Zimbabwe from their ancestral land.
On the 26th of February, 2021, the Minister of Local Government, Rural and Urban Development, Hon. July Moyo issued Statutory instrument 50 of 2021 Communal Lands (Setting Aside of Land)(Chiredzi) 2021, for Lucerne production. Citing the Communal Lands Act (19811. Chapter 21:05, the Minister ordered any person occupying or using the land specified in the Schedule …..to vacate permanently with his or her property from the said land by the date of publication of this notice…’. The statutory instrument did not specify where the affected people must go. Also, it did not give the affected villagers time to seek clarification.
As civil society, united in our diversity. we strongly condemn the arbitrary action taken by the Minister in total disregard of the rights of the affected persons and their community. Chilonga community is dominated by the Shangaan people who have lived in the area since the 1830s The established traditional leadership Structures and internal land heritage systems rooted in local customs and oral history and the peculiar local language spoken by the Chilonga people bear testimony to the old, time honoured and revered cultural dynamic of this community. These people have adapted to their climate, terrain and environment.
We applaud the response by the community of speaking out against this unlawful eviction. We further applaud the work by fellow civil society groups in support of the Chilonga community. The Center for Natural Resources Governance (CNRG) and the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN) filed an application at the Masvingo Provincial Magistrates Court seeking to stop the eviction on 5 February 2020. We welcome the order by the Court barring the eviction of 12 000 villagers and obliging the authorities to show cause why the Chilonga community must be evicted from their land without a court order.
The Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) and Masvingo Centre for Research Advocacy and Development (MACRAD) also approached the High Court challenging the constitutionality of the law relied on by the government. Veritas has done a thorough analysis of the notorious Statutory instrument and concluded that it is unconstitutional and fatally defective. MACRAD has carried out research and advocacy on the Issues and provided much needed accurate information on the case. We salute and support these brave efforts.
We note with concern the distress the eviction order has brought upon the Chlonga Community. Social media has been awash with video clips of Chlonga villagers publicly expressing their undying love for their area. They also express shock and disbelief at the news of the impending displacement and social dislocation. We are equally concerned that thousands of people we being sacrificed to pave way for the economic interests of a few individuals. We note that some of the government leaders involved in this unfortunate plan were recently named in a report to have links with the company that is now set to benefit from the unlawful eviction of the Chilonga villagers.
We note with concern the increasing use of statutory instruments by the Executive, overthrowing the Parliament from its law-making function.  We further note that several communities in Zimbabwe are facing displacement to pave way for commercial protects which they will never sustainably benefit from. Some of the threatened communities are Dinde and Cross Dete in Hwange, Sese in Masvingo, Ward 12 and 14 in Dotrto and the Kusena community in Marange, just to mention a few.
Civil society calls upon the Minister of Local Government Rural and Urban Development to
• withdraw, SI50 -2021 with immediate effect
• Identify alternative land for such a project land that is not currently inhabited by humans. It is our understanding that there are several underutilised A2 farms that can be used for the lucerne protect 
We can upon the Parliament of Zimbabwe to
• Take back its law-making function and put to an end the ongoing usurpation of law-making powers by the Executive
• Investigate the increasing cases of displacement of communities throughout Zimbabwe and make policy recommendations to the ExeCetree
• Repeal the Communal lands Act (1981) (Chap 21: 05) which is repeatedly abused to withdraw communal people’s land rights and enact new land legislation in line with the 2013 Constitution that gives Zimbabweans in rural areas land titles
• Expedite parliament’s legislative role in ensuring all Zirnbabwe’s laws align with the 2013 Constitution
<img decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwHo1V0WgAk2Fv5?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/><img decoding="async" src="https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EwHo5KvWgAABBz3?format=jpg&amp;name=large"/></blockquote>

Zimbabwe Told To "Immediately" Stop Eviction Of Chilonga People

The Zanu PF-led government has doubled down on its plans to push Chilonga villagers in Chiredzi out of their communal land holdings to pay the way for a lucerne production project by Dendairy, a company based in Kwekwe.
Instead of using the contentious Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021 which ordered the villagers to vacate their ancestral land for Dendairy, the government will use a “refashioned statutory instrument”.
This was revealed by George Charamba, the Deputy Chief Secretary-Presidential Communications in the Office of the President via Twitter posts on Monday. He wrote:
<blockquote>Lucerne growing is a small part of the development plan of the affected area. The plan is far-flung and involves irrigation of over 200 000 hectares under thousands of centre pivots, all for crop, fruit and beef production.
Those wishing to diss (dismiss) the project do so by presenting it as a one-item affair, which it isn’t.
They also predicate it on the coming in of an outsider as a fodder grower forgetting the bulk of the plan is State-involved and funded or the development of community and country!
Anyway, there will be complete communication from government, both by a comprehensive statement and a refashioned statutory instrument.</blockquote>
However, MDC Alliance vice-president Tendai Biti yesterday told NewsDay that the government cannot amend an SI but the correct thing is to repeal it. Biti said:
<blockquote>There is nothing like a refashioned statutory instrument. They simply have to repeal SI 50 of 2021, which took away land ownership rights of the Chilonga people. They cannot amend a statutory instrument.</blockquote>
SI 50 of 2021 was promulgated by Government on 26 February 2021. It read:
<blockquote>Communal Land (Excision of Land) (Notice, 2021): His Excellency, the President, in terms of section 6(1)(b) of the Communal Land Act [Chapter 20:04], hereby makes the following notice:— 1. This notice may be cited as the Communal Land (Excision of Land) Notice, 2021. 2. The area of land described hereunder in terms of the schedule shall cease to be part of the Chiredzi Communal Land.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newsday.co.zw/2021/03/govt-plots-backdoor-chiredzi-evictions/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewsDay</a></h4>

Govt To 'Refashion' Law For Chiredzi Evictions

Below is a full Twitter thread by MDC Alliance co-vice president and Harare East MP Tendai Biti on his visit to the Chilonga area in Chiredzi District.
<blockquote>We have spent a few days in the Chiredzi #Chilonga area visiting &amp; listening to compatriots in Chiredzi South &amp; East. We have met with ordinary citizens, community leaders &amp; traditional leaders who have travelled huge distances to places such as Chikombedzi, Malipati Boli, Gonarezhou.
We have seen &amp; heard from a tortured, insecure &amp; angry citizen in the Shangani communities so dominant in this part of the Lowveld. This is a community that has suffered displacements twice before. In the 60s they were removed from the Hippo Valley area to make way for sugar estates.
They were then ejected to pave way for huge eco reserves, Gona Rezhou National Park &amp; Malilangwe Reserve. They subsequently rebuilt their lives in South Eastern Lowveld in areas mulcted by the tsetse fly, high temperatures, wild animals, poverty &amp; infrastructure deficits.
Years of alienation isolation exclusion &amp; reification make these communities feel like outsiders. Without access in some cases to Zim services such as radio, mobile networks gas stations never mind jobs hospitals &amp; schools there is a greater connection with Mozambique &amp; South Africa.
The #Chilonga displacements are thus the ultimate invasion &amp; insult on these communities. They have been told 12500 will be ejected &amp; 9000 hectares taken under phase one. When Phase 2 &amp; 3 are completed a massive 21 000 hectares of their land would have been confiscated.
For a community that participated in the liberation struggle, they don’t understand why they should be ejected for only their land to be given to one white man. They already do contract farming for Delta &amp; they can’t understand why they can’t contract farm #lucerne for the white man.
In view of masses of pieces of underutilized agricultural land dotted in their region, they didn’t understand why the same land is not being used for the #lucerne project. They don’t understand why cattle grass has become more important than people or the small grains they produce.
They strongly feel that that they are victims not just of greed &amp; avarice but also of tribal rejection as an ethnic minority. They know that the regime has in 41 years been cruel &amp; extractive against ethnic minorities. They have suffered displacements, genocide &amp; exclusion.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://twitter.com/BitiTendai/status/1368802349691662344" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Tendai Biti on Twitter</a></h4>

FULL THREAD: Biti, MDC-A Officials Meet Chilonga Villagers

MDC Alliance, UK and Ireland Spokesperson Patricia Chinyoka said the displacement of Chilonga villagers in Chiredzi for a dairy farmer, Darren Coetzee, should not be allowed to happen.
In a statement, Chinyoka said the people of Chilonga have lived there for a very long time and cannot be evicted from their ancestral land and homes.
A Masvingo magistrate on Friday temporarily stopped the eviction, but Chinyoka believes the ruling Zanu PF party will use its power to override the decision. She said:
<blockquote>The Zimbabwe government is evicting thousands of people from an indigenous minority group from their communal land, The order affects more than 13,000 people of the Shangani minority.
On February 26, 2021, the Local Government, Urban and Rural Development Minister, July Moyo, published a legal notice ordering thousands of people occupying approximately 12,940 hectares of Chilonga communal land in Chiredzi, southeastern Zimbabwe, to leave immediately unless they acquire fresh rights of use or occupation to that land.
The legal notice, Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021, said the land was being set aside for lucerne grass production – farming grass for stockfeed.
The land is being handed over to Mr Darren Coetzee, owner of Dendairy, who plans to use the land for his cow grazing project.
This is totally unacceptable, the people of Chilonga have lived there for a very long time and cannot be evicted from their land and homes.</blockquote>

MDC-A UK & Ireland Wades Into Chilonga Dispute

<blockquote>An open response to George Charamba,
You know we know each other very well, you’re aware I used to frequently visit late RGM. During my 9 month tenure as MashWestChair, I had the opportunity to meet RGM about 12 times for not less than 2hrs each visit
He’d personally call for the meetings much to the chagrin of other Govt Ministers who often had to wait outside for the audience. But for you to go to such great lengths to explain, certainly there’s an issue. You’re one professional person I respect, let’s take corrective action.
You’re one person who’s pro-black, who’s pro-land reform, let’s protect and defend the founding principles of the struggle. Until Grace attacked you, you kept calm but I knew that was the end of the, then President’s tenure because you defended him and you’ve been loyal.
Though other people misunderstand you, I know you to be someone who’s loyal. There was an S.I. issued by the Minister, Kanyemba had no S.I. neither did other projects. If I missed them, kindly show them to me.
Unfortunately, @edmnangagwa is ill-advised, this is one such thing he was ill-advised about as has been the case on many issues. You know I’ve always supported the President, stood by him &amp; garnered more votes for him than many @ZANUPF_Official MPs in their constituencies.
However national interest is critical &amp; in the national interest, one must be able to raise facts. You know that when I have raised an issue, I try to be well detailed and speak from an informed position. I may not be as educated as some, but I’ve tried to master the Constitution.
I understand the S.I.&amp;tried to ask questions&amp;issues raised in Parly. I’ll not attest to being the best Parliamentarian but I think I’ve national interest at heart. Part of national interest &amp; leadership is to concede when there’s misinformation; there’s nothing wrong in doing so.
This is what this 2nd Republic must do; concede. The problem is the prevalence and extent of corruption; it’s gone too far. Already the very same Coetzee family has been given a monopoly to supply water pumps. They’ve begun in Gweru &amp; Warren Park and are slowly moving nationwide.
Even if they have the capacity it’s not a problem, but why give them a monopoly over our own with equal capacity? Ultimately we are black and we are one. Even members of the opposition are black and their interest is to see this country progress more than the minority do.
We fought the minority in the struggle and won. The democracy we enjoy today is a result of fighting in the struggle. But let’s find a way of uniting blacks who are part of this country. Tradition, culture &amp; heritage must be respected by all. Let’s respect our people.
Even if the people are poor, they’re rich in culture, heritage and tradition. I’ve never had such an exchange with you, but with all due respect, advise them properly. The problem with the 2nd Republic is that it doesn’t know it’s enemies and allies.
Unfortunately, you’re not an MP, so you can’t answer some of these questions in Parly. I’d dread the day you were in Parly as I know you’d be capable of answering these questions. However for now you’re not there, those guys would be skinned alive.
Corrective measures must be taken for national interest and to preserve our culture and national heritage.
I’m out on this for today…..
Icho! Charira! Kupi? KuChilonga, Chiredzi…..</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Temba_Mliswa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Temba Mliswa Biography</a></h4>

Temba Mliswa's Open Response To George Charamba {Full Statement}

The statement below was posted on Facebook on 5 March 2021 at 17:21hrs by George Charamba, the Deputy Chief Secretary-Presidential Communications in the Office of the President.
<blockquote>MORE ON CHILONGA IRRIGATION PROJECT: George Charamba
This morning I attended a high-level meeting on Chilonga Irrigation Project following the hue and cry on this terribly misunderstood and much-maligned COMMUNITY IRRIGATION PROJECT which is one of several planned by Government this year on COMMUNAL LAND.
What it provides for is REORGANIZATION and RE-PLANNING of communal human settlements to allow for IRRIGATED LAND USE!!
This is central to understanding what is set to happen in all the projects itemized above. And REORGANIZATION and/or RE-PLANNING is not the same as EVICTION or DISPLACEMENT which, quite apart from not being provided for under the relevant law, IS NOT in accord with GOVERNMENT POLICY.
Apart from sugar cane growing, CHIREDZI does livestock mainly. The planned massive COMMUNAL IRRIGATION PROGRAMME for CHIREDZI, which augments the already revived and thriving CHILONGA IRRIGATION PROJECT, is founded on the twin objective of INTRODUCING IRRIGATED CROPPING PROGRAMME which is CLIMATE-PROOFED; and TRANSFORMING LIVESTOCK FARMING all-round.
Both objectives entail REORGANIZATION and RE-PLANNING of affected areas to ensure blocks are arranged for CROPPING, LIVESTOCK, FEEDSTOCK-GROWING and HUMAN SETTLEMENT.
Facts on the ground show very few households stand to be affected by this new thrust, huge swathes of which land falls within UN-UTILIZED zones.
The few households which may be affected only get so affected in the sense of being RE-SITED as already indicated, all at GOVERNMENT EXPENSE and for improved RURAL HOUSING.
The Lucerne Project about which there has been so much noise supports the NEW, EXPANDED LAND USE BY AND FOR THOSE COMMUNAL RESIDENTS.
Should the Programme generate excess FODDER, or decide to embark on COMMERCIAL LUCERNE PRODUCTION as an OUTGROWERS INITIATIVE, those options NEED NOT UNDERMINE TITLE or SECURITY OF TENURE for our COMMUNAL LAND CITIZENS.
The above is the POLICY POSITION WHICH THE PRESIDENT HAS DIRECTED. Different teams and disciplines have been directed to look at all PLANS and INSTRUMENTS – the relevant Statutory Instrument included – to determine compliance with, and fulfilment of, this iron-clad POLICY POSITION.
Should any aspect be seen not to cohere with that strict policy position, the aspect concerned WILL BE CHANGED or, if of a legal nature, AMENDED, to fall in with both POLICY and PRIMARY STATUTE.
For the avoidance of doubt, the relevant act does not allow DESIGNATION of COMMUNAL LAND for purposes of GROWING A SPECIFIC CROP/GRASS!
I hope this clarifies the position and allays fears while creating a sound climate for the execution of this much-needed Programme covering at least three provinces for a start, and likely to be rolled out in all drylands including those in Mashonaland East.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/George_Charamba" rel="noopener" target="_blank">George Charamba Biography</a></h4>

Few Households To Be Displaced For Chilonga Irrigation Project - Charamba

Community leaders in Chilonga who are at the forefront of resisting the government’s decision to evict them from their land to pave way for the production of lucerne grass by Dendairy (Pvt) Ltd, have alleged harassment by suspected state security agents.
The villagers are now living in fear as the suspected state agents visit their homes and send them threatening messages on a daily basis.
Fearing for their lives and the safety of their families, the community leaders have since gone into hiding to dodge the unwelcome visitations.
One community leader who claimed to be speaking from a hiding place over the phone told The Standard:
<blockquote>We are getting threatening calls, they are saying we are doing politics and accuse us of being members of the opposition parties.
But ours is not a political cause, we believe it is a just cause.
They are playing the divide-and-rule tactic and as I am speaking, I am in hiding in the jungle.</blockquote>
Another villager who spoke to the publication said they will use all legal channels available to resist the evictions.
<blockquote>We have been evicted before. Why can’t they evict others this time around? Is it because we come from the minority Shangaan tribe? We will continue to fight for our land through constitutional means.</blockquote>
Government last week gazetted a legal instrument — statutory instrument (S1 50 of 2021 Communal Land Setting aside of Land (Chiredzi, notice 2021)) — paving the way for the eviction of more than 12 000 villagers.
The villagers are being forced to make way for Neville Coetzee, a white farmer with links to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, to embark on his cow grass project.
<a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/03/06/magistrate-grants-interim-order-barring-eviction-of-chilonga-villagers/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">On Friday, a Masvingo magistrate granted an interim order barring the eviction of the 12 000 villagers from their ancestral lands.</a>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.thestandard.co.zw/2021/03/07/chilonga-leaders-living-in-fear/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">The Standard</a></h4>

Chilonga Community Leaders Living In Fear

Renowned Harare-based constitutional law expert, Professor Lovemore Madhuku said that Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021, gazetted by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government last week, is unlawful, unconstitutional and reflect a “colonial mentality”.
The statutory instrument ordered more than 1 000 mainly Shangaan/Tsonga families in Chilonga, Chiredzi District, to “depart permanently” from the gazetted 6 000 land hectarage that would be used to farm lucerne grass for stock feed. Said Madhuku:
<blockquote>That statutory instrument is unconstitutional; it is based on an unconstitutional understanding of the powers of government over communal land.
The colonial mentality which is still reflected in the statute is that communal land belongs to the State, and is owned by the president.
But that right which is given to the president is not equivalent to the ordinary right of ownership, which other people use.
If you are an owner of land you can easily displace anyone or remove anyone, that is not the case.
Communal land rights are somewhat special rights, communal people cannot be displaced merely at the whims of government.</blockquote>
Madhuku added that the government should have approached the High Court and state its reasons and then getting an appropriate order for those people to be moved to a different place.
Dendairy, a dairy company owned by a white farmer, Neville Coetzee, who has links with President Emmerson Mnangagwa was allotted the land for its lucerne grass project.
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/2021/03/06/magistrate-grants-order-barring-eviction-of-12000-chilonga-villagers/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ZimLive.com</a></h4>

Madhuku Tells Mnangagwa To Abandon Colonial Mentality

Full statement by the Zimbabwe Peace Project (ZPP) on local government minister July Moyo’s notice ordering Chilonga villagers to move out of their ancestral land.
<blockquote>Exactly a year ago, the govt announced that it had engaged a private investor to grow Lucerne grass in Chiredzi. Govt stated that among other benefits of the project, the local community was to benefit from a 6000-hectare piece of land.
July Moyo, acting as Lands minister said the development would boost livestock production in the Lowveld and earn the country foreign currency. “…we want to look at how we are going to engage the local community so that we see how we can work together”.
The MD of Dendairy also said they were looking forward to expanding the project, ‘which will directly benefit the local community.’
At that time, nothing was said about evicting the local villagers and farmers from the land to pave way for the project.
A year later, government has gazetted, as has become a worrying trend, a SI 50 of 2021 allowing the relocation of about 12000 people from Chilonga to pave way for the Lucerne grass project.
Worryingly, government – which has clearly reneged from its promise that the project would benefit local farmers and boost their livestock production – has issued the eviction order without offering the victims alternative shelter and sources of livelihood.
ZPP calls on govt to immediately suspend SI 50 of 2021. It is evil and deserves to be suspended. No government that cares about its citizens would subject them to such treatment.
Any investment that affects the livelihoods of people defeats the purpose, or rather becomes just another feeding trough for the elite, at the expense of the poor villagers who use natural resources to sustain themselves.
It is clear that Zimbabwe has huge tracts of underutilised land that can be used for such investments such as the Lucerne project and as such, there is no need to target land that is occupied and is being rightfully utilized.
By suspending the Statutory Instrument, government can allow for a constructive conversation on a win-win rural development strategy, taking into account the conflict that arises over the division between communal and commercial land.</blockquote>

Zimbabwe Peace Project Statement On Eviction Of 12 000 Chilonga Villagers {Full Text}

A Masvingo magistrate on Friday granted an interim order barring the eviction of 12 000 villagers from their ancestral lands in Chilonga, Chiredzi, to pave way for Dendairy, a dairy company’s cow grass project.
Dendairy (Pvt) Ltd is owned by farmer Neville Coetzee, a white farmer with links to President Emmerson Mnangagwa.
Human rights advocates intervened and filed a lawsuit after local government minister July Moyo issued a notice last week ordering all the villagers to “depart permanently” from the gazetted 6,000 land hectarage.
The magistrate ruled that Moyo and his co-defendants – the Chiredzi Rural District Council and the District Administrator – should show cause why they were ejecting the “communal farmers from Chilonga Community affected by Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021 without first securing an order of the court” if they disagreed with the verdict.
Following the ruling, the Southern Africa Human Rights Defenders Network (SAHRDN), and the Centre for Natural Resource Governance (CNRG), which sued jointly on behalf of the villagers, posted on Twitter:
We managed to secure an interim relief barring the arbitrary eviction which offends Section 74 of the Constitution.
Section 74 stipulates that “No person may be evicted from their home, or have their home demolished, without an order of court made after considering all the relevant circumstances.”
Meanwhile, George Charamba, the Deputy Chief Secretary-Presidential Communications in the Office of the President, appeared to scoff at those who celebrated the ruling. He tweeted:
<blockquote>Just an interim relief anyway!!!!</blockquote>
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-partner="tweetdeck">
Just an interim relief anyway!!!! <a href="https://t.co/XmDSPkXGY3">https://t.co/XmDSPkXGY3</a>
— Jamwanda (@Jamwanda2) <a href="https://twitter.com/Jamwanda2/status/1368062798593396738?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 6, 2021</a></blockquote>
<script async="" charset="utf-8" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.zimlive.com/2021/03/06/magistrate-grants-order-barring-eviction-of-12000-chilonga-villagers/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">ZimLive.com</a></h4>

Magistrate Grants Interim Order Barring Eviction Of Chilonga Villagers

Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association (ZELA) has filed 2 applications at the Masvingo High Court challenging the government’s decision to move Chilonga Villagers from their ancestral land to pave way for the Dendairy grass project.
This was revealed by ZELA which shared a photo of the papers submitted to the court for their application; ZELA in a social media post said:
<blockquote>Breaking News! Zimbabwe Environmental Law Association(ZELA)  has just filed two court applications simultaneously at Masvingo High Court on behalf of Chilonga  Community. <a class="css-4rbku5 css-18t94o4 css-901oao css-16my406 r-1n1174f r-1loqt21 r-poiln3 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0" data-focusable="true" dir="ltr" href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/SaveChilonga?src=hashtag_click" role="link">#SaveChilonga</a></blockquote>
The court papers show that the applicants are:
<ol>
<li>Masvingo Center For Research Advocacy and Community Development Trust (MACRAD Trust)</li>
<li>Livson Chikutu</li>
</ol>
The respondents are:
<ol>
<li>Minister of Local Government, Urban and Rural Development</li>
<li>Chiredzi Rural District Council</li>
<li><a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/01/27/agriculture-ministry-changes-name/">Minister  of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Resettlement.</a></li>
<li>Minister For Provincial Affairs Masvingo</li>
</ol>
Meanwhile ever since the issue of purported evictions came to light the following speculations have been circulating on social media though they are not yet verified:
<ol>
<li>President <a href="https://news.pindula.co.zw/2021/03/04/ed-allegedly-owns-10-of-dendairy-team-pachedu-produces-receipts/">Mnangagwa owns part of Dendairy</a></li>
<li>There <a href="https://twitter.com/daddyhope/status/1367755133942120453">could be diamond deposits</a> in the area</li>
</ol>
Source: <a href="https://twitter.com/ZELA_Infor/status/1367779584142413825">ZELA</a>

ZELA Challenges Chilonga  Community Evictions At Masvingo High Court

The Minister of State Affairs and Devolution for Masvingo, Ezra Chadzamira has castigated opposition political leaders for allegedly misleading the nation on the Chilonga Lucerne grass project.
Recent reports indicate that the government allocated land belonging to the Shangaan/Tsonga communities in Chiredzi to a dairy company, Dendairy, for its grass project.
Addressing journalists on Thursday, Chadzamira insisted that the Chilonga villagers were consulted and were the biggest beneficiaries of the upcoming Dendairy project. He said:
<blockquote>The project has so many advantages but the problem is the opposition are the ones who are misguiding the villagers after reading the Statutory Instruments (SI) halfway so that they add confusion to the people.
Government engaged the chiefs, the headmen and all other stakeholders and they understood.</blockquote>
Chadzamira added that the area where the grass project will take place is sparsely populated and the affected families will not be move moved far away. He said:
<blockquote>The place that the Lucerne grass project is going to take place do not have many people and those few will not be moved far away from their residential areas and they are the first beneficiaries, they will also be allocated their pieces of land that will be tilled for Lucerne grass and food by the company.</blockquote>
Activists have been using social media platforms to urge members of the public to boycott Dendairy products because of the grass project.
Member of Parliament for Chiredzi West Constituency Farai Musikavanhu also accused the opposition of misleading the nation. He said:
<blockquote>Consultations were done and I can declare that as a resident within the community, I witnessed this happening and I attended some of the meetings as their political representative.
Those that are against the relocation need to be read the Statutory Instrument in full and the villagers are fully covered by the law from communal to commercial use of the land so they are de facto covered in the process of benefitting.
It’s very unfortunate that the opposition turns to put a negative narrative to all developmental projects and demonise vision 2030.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.newzimbabwe.com/opposition-accused-of-misleading-chiredzi-villagers-over-grass-project/" rel="noopener" target="_blank">NewZimbabwe.com</a></h4>

Chadzamira Blames Opposition Leaders For Chiredzi Lucerne Grass Project 'Falsehoods'

Full Twitter thread by the former Deputy Minister at the Ministry of Higher Education, Science and Technology Development, Godfrey Gandawa on impending evictions of Shangaan families in Chiredzi District. <a href="https://twitter.com/DrGGandawa/status/1367717462666543104" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Read the thread below:</a>
<blockquote>Mnangagwa’s readiness to take land from 12,500 poor villagers and give it to one company, Dendairy, betrays his lack of conscience and decency. Dendairy can afford to buy land anywhere in Zimbabwe, there is no reason for it to ruin the lives of 12,500 people in the process.
Dendairy is interested in Chilonga for its soils and proximity to Tokwe Mukosi anticipated expansion. We betray the cause of the liberation struggle and the land reform programme when we evict 12,500 of our people to make room for a single business. It a great shame.
The people who were evicted to make way for Tokwe Mukosi are living in squalor, seven years later. Expect a repeat. Govt has not built any new homes or roads for the people of Chilonga but is already moving to enforce their eviction. Why is govt behaving like a foreign enemy?
The decision to remove the people of Chilonga from their ancestral lands is so bizarre and impossible to justify that the public is understandably suspecting that Mnangagwa has a personal interest in the acquisition of the land, it is certainly not in the public interest.
It would be a different matter if large mineral deposits had been found in the area and a billion-dollar investment was imminent. In this case, Dendairy wants to grow lucerne grass to feed its cows. It is outrageous that 12,500 can be evicted so a milk company can grow lucerne.
If there is economic value in lucerne, Dendairy should support farmers to grow it. This is what legitimate businesses like Delta have done for years. They support farmers as opposed to pushing them off their land as Dendairy intends to do with Mnangagwa’s help.
It is unfortunate that Tokwe Mukosi, which was meant to benefit the people, is turning out to be a curse as the politically connected move to seize land in its proximity at the expense of locals. This capture of the state by business is extremely dangerous and must be confronted.
There is clearly no credible economic argument for evicting 12,500 people to make way for a project that can be done elsewhere, or even by the present inhabitants of the land. Growing lucerne is not complex and local farmers are well up to the task. So why evict them?
Govt has not demonstrated the public interest served by taking land from 12,500 people only to hand it over for a low-investment project like growing lucerne. Worse still, such a project only serves the interests of a single company that happens to be friends with Mnangagwa.
What is striking is that despite being violated by Zanu PF in this manner, the people of Chilonga still speak deferentially of the ruling party. The tone is not of an empowered citizen demanding answers but feeble subjects appealing to the generosity of masters.
This raises the issue of political education. Our population needs an aggressive political education campaign to reverse this present state of affairs where the population is subjugated to the extent that govt no longer fears the people, but the people fear the govt.
Govt now claims that no evictions are imminent despite having gazetted an SI directing the villagers to leave. The authorities should stop playing propaganda with people’s lives. It has become a habit of this regime to say one thing while doing the opposite.</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Godfrey_Gandawa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Godfrey Gandawa Biography</a></h4>

'Tugwi Mukosi Dam A Curse For Chilonga Villagers'

<blockquote>Green Governance Zimbabwe Trust join hands with the Women’s Academy for Leadership and Political Excellence, Institute for Community Development in Zimbabwe, Masvingo Centre for Research, Advocacy and Community Development, Matebeleland Institute for Human Rights, Heal Zimbabwe Trust and Advocates4Earth to condemn the impending evictions of the Shangaan families in Chiredzi District.
We are following with concern developments in Chiredzi District where the government of Zimbabwe has approved the eviction of Shangaan families from their ancestral land to pave way for lucerne grass farming.
It is our conviction that this decision, to evict 2258 households with 13 840 people infringes on fundamental rights and freedoms set out in the Constitution.
Further, it alienates the Shangani people from their agricultural, religious and cultural heritage as private capital interest trumps community needs.
Dendairy (Pvt) Ltd, a private dairy processor based in Kwekwe which exports to Zambia, Malawi and Mozambique, plans to grow hay and cow forage on this 6000ha of development land.
Publication of Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021 Communal Land (Setting Aside of Land) (Chiredzi) in the Government Gazette, confirms this regrettable development.
It was issued by the Minister of Local Government and Rural Development Honorable July Moyo in terms of the Communal Land Act (Chapter 20:04] “The area of land described hereunder in terms of this schedule shall be set aside with effect from the date of publication of this notice for the purpose of Lucerne production”
“Any person occupying or using the land specified in the schedule, otherwise than by virtue of a right held in terms of the Mines and Minerals Act (Chapter 21,05), is ordered to depart permanently with all of his or her property from the said land by the date of publication of this notice, unless he or she acquires rights of use of occupation to the said land in terms of section (9) (1) of the Communal Land Act (Chapter (20,04).”
Distressingly eviction is a legacy of injustice and a repetition of history for the Shangani people.
They were displaced in the 1960s by the colonial government to pave way for Gonarezhou National Park and later moved to their current location in Chiredzi.
We, therefore, demand responsible and sustainable investments which promote local content development in solidarity with the Chilonga community and other communities displaced without proper compensation.
Corporates must be stopped at all costs from evicting local people of their communal land, whilst people and community rights must be placed before profit.
We call on the respect of Business and Human Rights (BHR) principles through the promotion of sustainable investments, transparency and accountability and the respect of obligations set by the Constitution to protect fundamental human rights from violations.
Zimbabwe should similarly uphold regional treaties like the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (ACHPR), the United Nations International Convention on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR).
The Zimbabwean Government must also consider domesticating the Kampala Declaration on Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) through national legislation in order to establish a comprehensive national framework to address internal displacement.
Internationally accepted standards for development-induced displacements like the Free Prior Informed Consent (FIPC) principles should be adhered to, with due diligence for displaced communities to resettle in serviced areas with schools, clinics, hospitals, roads and other infrastructure.
While the State can legally and compulsorily acquire land or any right or interest in such land, this should be done with respect to its sacrosanct duty to protect its citizens and promote their wellbeing
In accordance with Section 71 (3) of the Constitution, the government must ensure fair and just compensation for improvements effected on land payable before the acquisition of the said land.
Further, Section 13(2) of the Constitution provides that government national development programmes (like Lucerne production in this case) must involve local people in the formulation and implementation of development plans and programmes that affect them.
Significantly, Section 16 Constitution compels the government to ensure local people benefit from their land and other resources.
It further imposes an obligation to promote and preserve cultural values and practices, as well as enhance dignity, well-being and equality in Zimbabwe.
We call on all progressive forces to resist this impending injustice by invoking Section 74 of the Constitution, that no persons may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished, without a court order made after considering all circumstances.
We urge the government to actively involve the Shangani community in the lucerne project plans and project lifecycle through a structure for an Outgrowers Scheme and stimulate local development in line with the devolution agenda.
We also call on the Zimbabwe Human Rights Commission (ZHRC) to intervene and ensure compliance to due process for mitigation of violation of the rights of the Shangani community and also facilitate the litigation process to protect their rights.</blockquote>

FULL TEXT: Joint Press Statement On Impending Evictions of Shangaan People In Chiredzi

Outspoken Independent Member of Parliament Temba Mliswa (Norton) says there was no point in liberating the country from the yoke of white minority rule if 41 years after independence black people are forced off their ancestral land for whites.
This follows the recent gazetting of Statutory Instrument 50 of 2021 by the Ministry of Local Government for the removal of the Chilonga people in Chiredzi from their ancestral land to pave way for a dairy company, Dendairy owned by Darren Coetzee, to run a lucerne grass farming project.
Mliswa claimed that white people are doing as they please under the so-called New Dispensation and this is a reversal of the gains achieved by the nation through the armed struggle. <a href="https://twitter.com/TembaMliswa/status/1367367376690425860" rel="noopener" target="_blank">He said:</a>
<blockquote>No one wants to support a system that persecutes people. The whites are having a party in Zimbabwe with the Second Republic.
They’re making more money than everybody, we’re witnessing the reversal of policies and empowerment in their favour.
12 000 people are being removed for what? For one white man? Dendairy what national project are we talking of here?</blockquote>
Mliswa challenged the Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage to intervene and ensure that the Chilonga people retain their heritage.
The former ZANU PF Mashonaland West provincial chairman warned President Emmerson Mnangagwa that on a spiritual level, Zimbabwe will become difficult to govern as local people are “crying” because of government policies. Said Mliswa:
<blockquote>Where’s our culture and heritage [Ministry of Home Affairs and Cultural Heritage]?
Spiritually it becomes difficult to govern the country when such prevails. People’s tears aren’t good.
What was the point of liberating this country when we’re still oppressed?</blockquote>
<h4>More: <a href="https://www.pindula.co.zw/Temba_Mliswa" rel="noopener" target="_blank">Temba Mliswa Biography</a></h4>

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