Father of 17 among 20 Zanu PF families chucked off farm

A ZANU PF leader, Jonathan Mapfumo, of Stoneby and Bosbury extension farms in Chegutu, is currently living in the open after he was evicted from the land which he occupied in 2007.

Mapfumo is Zanu PF’s youth chairperson for Bosbury district, Ward 24.

Mapfumo, a father of 17 children and five wives, described the heartbreaking events that led to their eviction, which has left his family living in an open space along the roadside near Rogate Primary School.

“We settled on Stoneby Farm and Bosridge Farm in 2007 as Zanu PF members,” he said.

“In 2010, the district administrator (DA, now district development co-ordinator) issued us offer letters, but when a new DA took over, he claimed our letters were fake.”

Mapfumo explained that many residents complied with the request to surrender their letters, hoping to receive original documents, but as they waited for the new offer letters, they discovered others were being allocated their land.

In a desperate bid for a resolution, Mapfumo and his neighbours reported the issue to the Zimbabwe Land Commission, only to face further challenges.

“On July 2, 2023, my home was burned down. More recently, on April 25, our homes were destroyed and we were evicted without notice,” Mapfumo lamented.

Now living in the bush with his large family, Mapfumo is appealing for assistance in securing a stable home.

“It’s been a week since we lost everything. We are forced to fend for ourselves with no support,” he stated.

Another long-time resident of the farm in question, Abel Dzvimbu, who left his Headlands home in Manicaland province to settle in Chegutu in 2007, is among close to 20 families evicted and living in the open.

According to the victims, about 70 children are among the affected and living in the open.

“I resettled in Chegutu from Headlands as a worker and later allocated land under a youth programme in 2007,” Dzvimbu said.

“However, we are shocked to be told by the Ministry of Lands that we are residing on land belonging to a businessman from Chegutu town.

“We are now being forced to demolish our long-established homes and our livestock is damaging our unharvested crops.”

He added: “We are struggling to manage our cattle and crops, and our children will find it difficult to attend school if they open while we are still living in the open.

“We are currently living in the bush with our families, and it’s becoming increasingly difficult.”

Efforts to get a comment from Lands and Agriculture minister Anxious Masuka were futile. Newsday