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George Maponga Masvingo Bureau
Thousands of illegal settlers are facing eviction from Mutirikwi Dam’s catchment area as Government moves to end unlawful occupation of State land across Masvingo Province. Besides Mutirikwi, plans are also already in motion to evict illegal settlers around major reservoirs across the province as part of efforts to stem rampant siltation of water bodies.

Mutirikwi Dam has been under growing threat of extinction owing to runaway siltation in its catchment area after village heads and unscrupulous land officials were put under the spotlight for illegally parcelling out State land in return for kickbacks.

Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Ezra Chadzamira (pictured right) said the days of illegal settlers, particularly those occupying land around big water bodies in the province, were numbered.

He said Government would flush out illegal settlers who have been proliferating on both State-owned land and black-owned farms in the province.

“We have started serving eviction notices on all those who have been illegally staying on State-owned land and mostly those who illegally settled themselves around major dams,” said Cde Chadzamira.

“We are particularly worried about those around water bodies because they abet siltation. What we are saying is that the programme of evicting illegal settlers is a national action which is occurring in all parts of the country because Government wants to see sanity on the land.

“We will not tolerate illegal occupation of land anymore.”

Cde Chadzamira warned those fingered in illegal parcelling out and selling of State land to desperate home seekers that they would face the full wrath of the law.

He urged those who paid for land to report the culprits to the police, saying it was unlawful to sell land in Zimbabwe.

“It is illegal to sell land in Zimbabwe even if a person has an offer letter and if they feel they can no longer work on the land, it must be surrendered to Government,” said Cde Chadzamira.

Eviction of illegal settlers in Masvingo started with serving of eviction notices to close to 1 000 families at Mzaro Farm in Sikato on the shores of Mutirikwi Dam.

The illegal settlers occupied the farm at the turn of the millennium and Government refused to back down on plans to evict them insisting that only those with valid offer letters had the right to remain on the land.

Most water bodies across Masvingo were under threat from siltation due to overpopulation and uncontrolled occupation of land within the reservoirs’ catchment areas.

Over the past decade, hundreds of families have been illegally occupying land in areas such as Hwendedzo and Mazare in the heart of Mutirikwi Dam’s catchment.

This development is partly blamed for threats on the future of Zimbabwe’s second largest inland dam which is struggling to fill up because of siltation.

The dam is Masvingo city’s sole water source and the lifeblood of the multimillion-dollar sugar cane industry in the Lowveld.