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George Maponga in Masvingo

Over 250 villagers from four wards in Charumbira communal lands have petitioned Government to intervene over the proliferation of illegal settlements which they allege are encroaching into their grazing land amid reports of rampant land degradation.

The petition by village heads and their ad-hoc interim leadership known as the Committee of 7 comes amid increasing clashes between communities in Charumbira and the neighbouring Bere communal lands.

Government, a few years ago, resuscitated the Bere chieftainship with most of the new chief’s area of jurisdiction coming from areas previously under Chief Charumbira.

Charumbira villagers from wards 11, 10, 9 and 7 are unhappy over what they allege to be invasion of their land by new settlers under Chief Bere.

They petitioned Masvingo district development co-ordinator Mr Roy Hove whom they also accused of parceling out over 300 village head badges to new individuals who are now illegally parceling out land while masquerading as village heads in areas under Chief Charumbira.

The irate villagers told Mr Hove that an emplacement team demarcated Mushandike River as the boundary between Charumbira and Bere communal lands with the latter superintending only 35 villages.

Charumbira villagers demanded that Mr Hove address the problem as a matter of urgency to stem lawlessness and rampant land degradation caused by the mushrooming of illegal settlements that has created population pressure in their ancestral land.

Mr Hove could not accept or deny that he had been petitioned by the villagers but said he was going to meet them in the near future.

”I have not met anyone from Charumbira over the issue of illegal allocation of village head badges or any other issue. If need be, I will be meeting them in the near future,” said Mr Hove.

Calls have been mounting for Government to intervene and clearly demarcate boundaries between Charumbira and Bere chiefdoms to avoid clashes between communities especially over grazing and farming land.