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legally on their new pieces of land while the rest were still being processed.
The families which settled illegally on the former Manzou Game Park at the start of land reforms in 2000 are being moved to Lazy Farm, Birthday Farm and Blagdon Farm in the same district.
Mashonaland Central Governor and Resident Minister Advocate Martin Dinha said contrary to claims that the families were being moved to make way for President Mugabe’s farming ventures, the re-location was necessitated by the need to resettle the families properly.
“The First Family would never treat Zimbabwean citizens like that,” he said.
“We do not know where the Sunday Times got those allegations. The President is actually one of the biggest investors in farming in our province.”
Advocate Dinha said the Manzou area was once a game park before the agrarian reforms and that the Department of National Museums and Monuments declared it a national heritage site in 2006.
“The re-establishment of the game park and the Nehanda National Monument will be achieved at a cost of US$8,5 million and is expected to boost efforts to preserve national monuments, the environment and natural resources such as fauna and flora,” he said.
Advocate Dinha said national heroine Ambuya Nehanda lived in the area and was arrested there before she was murdered by the colonialists.
He said it was critical to preserve the history of the place where the idea of the First Chimurenga was mooted.
Farming activities by the families at Manzou Farm (formerly Arnold Farm) are largely blamed for the siltation of neighbouring Mazowe Dam and the pollution of water by agricultural chemicals.
Advocate Dinha said Government will build a museum in the area that sits on 10 100 hectares, while wild animals will be brought in from other parts of the country.
“We will make sure every family gets an offer letter today so that they start building their new homes on their pieces of land,” he said.
Mazowe district administrator Ms Sheri Nyakudya said it was proper for Government to intervene and preserve national heritage and resources to create an appropriate environment for farming activities.
“As the Governor has said, the families will be allowed to leave some members behind to take care of their crops and livestock while others do construction work on the new sites,” she said.
“After harvest they will then move out totally paving the way for wildlife and the museum projects.”
Lazy Farm is 813ha, while Birthday Farm is 1 100ha and the Blagdon Farms measure 565ha.
The new farms where the families are being moved have more arable land compared to the rocky, but fertile Manzou Farm where they have been staying.