Zimbabwe - Scores of farmers, illegally resettled at Outspan Farm in Chegutu by some kraal heads acting in cahoots with people purporting to be in the lands committee, now face immediate eviction. Chegutu East legislator Cde Webster Shamu has instructed Chegutu district administrator Mr Michael Mariga to immediately evict the farmers from the farm. The farmers are alleged to have paid the kraal heads and their friends for the pieces of land but still do not have offer letters, a pre-requisite for anyone taking up land.

Cde Shamu told farmers and other stakeholders gathered for a field day at Plot 64 of Beersheba Farm belonging to Mr William Chikengezha that Government would not tolerate people selling land to desperate fellow citizens.

"The land came through the barrel of the gun.

"A lot of blood was shed in the process and so every Zimbabwean deserves a piece of his or her own without paying anything.

"The land issue started with Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi's resistance culminating into the Second Chimurenga that was led by Cde Robert Mugabe and the late Vice President Joshua Nkomo," said Cde Shamu.

Cde Shamu, who is also the Minister of Media, Information and Publicity, said everything land beneficiaries do should be guided by the fact that a lot of sacrifices were made during the war of liberation to wrestle the land from the whites.

This, he said, underlined the emphasis currently being put on the need for transparency in its distribution and the various concerted efforts to increase productivity and revive the economy.

Mr Chikengezha also stressed the need for farmers to take land reform seriously and show their appreciation to those who went to the war to liberate the country by fully utilising the land.

"There is money in farming. Let us fully utilise the land - we may be A1 or A2 but the fact still remains that we have a big onus to produce and get our agro-based economy rolling again.

"I only have 6ha, three of which hold my tobacco while the remainder is committed to maize and other food crops.

"I have also extended my operations into my son's farm because my farm is small," he said.

Mr Chikengezha was resettled in 2000 from Mhondoro communal lands where he had only an acre to till, which restricted him to producing maize only to feed the family. He has been growing tobacco for the past three years now and is expecting to deliver between 65 and 70 bales this season.

Mr Chikengezha also has a herd of 34 cattle, 31 goats, indigenous poultry and seven rabbits on the farm.

The Herald/08/03/2011