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George Maponga in Masvingo
Government has paid out nearly US$4 million in compensation to 895 Tokwe-Mukorsi families that will be relocated to pave way for what will be Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam.
However, there are reports that some of the compensated families are resisting relocation to Nuanetsi Ranch after they allegedly spent all the money they got from Government.
Compensation ranged from US$5 000 to US$50 000 depending on the property one possessed.
So far, Government has relocated 490 families and 405 others that have already received compensation are yet to be moved.
Masvingo provincial administrator Mr Felix Chikovo on Monday said Government had paid US$3,8 million to Tokwe-Murkosi families for the relocation.
“The families that we have compensated are those staying in the dam’s flood area, about 660 metres above sea level, and we are actually racing against time to move the remaining families,” he said.
On families refusing to move because they had already blown through the compensation, Mr Chikovo said Government’s primary concern was paying the money and moving people from the flood zone.
“We are still relocating people and the process is being done at Government’s cost.
“It will be difficult to tell whether some people squandered their payouts because the process is still ongoing. Some of them have said they want to be moved in groups so they may be waiting for their other relatives who are yet to be compensated,” he said.
Mr Chikovo said the Tokwe-Mukorsi relocation taskforce was moving an average of 15 families per day to their new home at Nuanetsi Ranch.
Government is pegging plots for them after getting 68 000ha of land from the Development Trust of Zimbabwe for resettlement purposes.
But some families are unhappy that their new home has no tarred roads, clinics, schools and good farming land.
In total, Government will relocate about 4 000 families to make way for the 1,8 billion cubic metres capacity dam that is being built at a cost of US$155 million.