ZCP demands compensation for evicted settlers, questions legality of land takeovers

The Zimbabwe Communist Party (ZCP) believes the government should compensate people who were evicted for allegedly resettling illegally on state land for the infrastructure they built after using their savings to make improvements on that land.

ZCP also criticises the government for failing to inform or write warning letters to the settlers that they were supposed to relocate rather than forcibly evicting them with no other alternatives.

In an interview with CITE, ZCP General Secretary Nicholas Ngqabutho Mabhena claimed the government should have managed the evictions better.

“We are still studying the pattern of evicting people and from the official communication, the government alleged these people were illegally resettled by land barons and village heads. We know the land reform programme, chaotic as it was, moved people in rural areas to new resettlements and they have been there for over 20 years so it would be wrong for the government to simply evict them,” Mabhena said.

According to Mabhena, the government ought to be accountable for the developments done by settlers in that state land.

“Some people had drilled boreholes and built nice homes that were destroyed. On the other hand, we are told the White commercial farmers, who stole land from Black ancestors will be compensated US$3.5 billion for the land improvements,” said the ZCP leader.

“Surely this should apply in this case as well because people took their savings and built their homes. They ought to be compensated and given enough time to move to new homes.”

Mabhena also questioned how the government could evict people who had offer letters instead of investigating how those offer letters were given.

“In some videos, some women showed proof their letters were signed by the chiefs and officials from the Ministry of Lands. A land audit ought to have been done to determine the exact situation,” he said, adding although the land commission had discussed the land audit report in Parliament, that report had not been publicised.

“We have not really discussed that report. The government needed to inform people who were settled illegally 20 years ago that they were to be moved.

He added: “There should have been a consultation process and notice given to the settlers saying they were settled illegally but it is not their fault because the fault lies with the persons who gave them the land. The government should have told them, ‘in the next 12 months, you will be moved out.’ Then write warning letters to prepare them to be moved out.”

Moving forward, the ZCP leader stated the party will contact the relevant government ministries to gain a better understanding of why the evictions occurred at this time.

“We need to understand why the government was silent for over 20 years. You can’t just wake up to say, ‘you settled illegally, move,'” Mabhena said, adding the party could seek a legal route if they suspected foul play.

If there is a sinister reason behind the evictions, Mabhena asserted then the land reform was a “political project” rather than a “genuine exercise” to empower people.

“Some people are now saying they were told not to build structures and the question is if you are moved and told not to build structures, why are you there because you are turning that land into your home,” he said.

“People brought livestock and children, you can’t have children living in shacks. In some communities, they were building schools and other infrastructure such as clinics. Why tell these people to move now and move to where because the reason they settled there was they were in need of land.”

He also called on the government to allocate each Zimbabwean family one farm instead of protecting the politically connected who had several or multiple farms.

“Let’s stick to one family-one farm. Some families have 10 farms. We read that the daughter of the late former president Robert Mugabe, Bona has 21 farms. If indeed she has 21 farms, what of her mother and brothers? What about the children of the current president, the president himself and other family members?” Mabhena questioned.

“The government should implement the one family-one farm programme and audit it. Then unused land must be given to people who will be productive.”

Last week, war veterans also urged the government to prioritize dialogue with people settled in communal land facing eviction, instead of resorting to forceful methods like those seen in the recent demolitions.

Read: https://cite.org.zw/war-veterans-demand-dialogue-before-mass-evictions/