via Mazowe evictions: Govt moves in – The Standard April 13, 2014 by Ndamu Sandu
GOVERNMENT is convening a crisis meeting this week to deliberate on the assistance to be given to the people evicted from a farm in Mazowe last month, The Standard learnt yesterday.
Over 300 people were last month evicted by armed police from Spelenken Farm in Mazowe. Of the affected, 50 families were dumped at Chief Rusambo’s homestead in Rushinga.
A week after the Spelenken evictions, more than 900 people were kicked out of Manzou Farm in the same area.
The government meeting on Tuesday came after an outcry from the affected families and human rights organisations that government had neglected the evictees.
It also comes after a recent High Court ruling giving families that were staying at Manzou Farm at least six months to harvest their crops while government looks for alternative land to settle them.
Mashonaland Central provincial administrator Josphat Takundwa Jaji said yesterday assistance was being sought for the affected families.
The meeting would be chaired by Provincial Affairs minister Martin Dinha.
“Assistance is being sought for them — shelter and replenishments. We have approached various organisations that are willing to assist,” he said.
The Standard reported last week that victims of the evictions were struggling to make ends meet in Rushinga.
The paper also reported that victims were sleeping in the open exposed to weather conditions. School children have already dropped out of school.
Jaji said the affected families would be allowed to harvest their crops.
Critics say the evictions were illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional as there were done without a court order as per the Constitution.
Section 74 of the Constitution stipulates that “no person may be evicted from their home or have their home demolished without an order of court made after considering all relevant circumstances”.
COMMENTS
Move in with what resources when the Chigwizi and Tjolotjo flood victims are in desperate need of assistance which government has so far failed to provide? How could Mugabe do this in the first place?
Will it matter then whether you build or sponsor opharnages after you have played a big hand in creating the opharns in the first place. Do you really care about the opharns madame grace or they provide you with a face of compassion to the world. Just something to exhibit to other first ladies when they come visiting so good things may be said about you in the press? How much land will be enough for you and your family? What of those that you chase from their homes, are they supposed to live on water because you think they are not worthy of the land? There seems to be a deep empty hole in thy chest that you seek to want to fill with wealth and glitters of the earth. But it shall never be filled. It is called guilt. No matter how much you grab. It shall never be enough. No sane person will ever think of you as respectable. You will be scum forever.
Can someone tell me what this land is needed for, if it’s for the first family again, I tell you guys the time for action is NOW.
This would have never happened if Mugabe’s wife had not evicted these people in the first place to satisfy her incredible greed at the expense of everybody else.
So now the government are running around trying to make good what is simply criminal activity by someone who is currently protected by the state because of her position.
When government settled people on Manzou and Spelenken was it aware of the Grace investment? Now we see who is government. It is the first lady. The cabinet and MPs are mere figure heads which can be manipulated to agree with everything Grace says and does whether legal or illegal. When the first lady embarked on land grabbing and merciless evictions, she defended her actions by lying to the nation that she needed land for her orphanage. She invaded Interfresh properties purportedly to increase space for her so called orphanage. Recently she invaded Manzou and Spelenkem farms, threw out settlers on these farms like they were dirty litter to establish a game park. But is there any common ground between an orphanage and a game park?
I learned through this forum that the first lady had ambitions to become a politician so that she can protect her business interests. The people she is throwing out of their homes are the ones supposed to vote for her if she becomes a politician. It will be a waste of time for her to get into politics because she is the most hated person in the country. Sooner or later it will be game over for her.
Dis-Grace is only trying to provide orphans with homes, she follows in OPRAH’s Footsteps, difference is Oprah finds genuine orphans and looks after them, Dis-Grace makes the orphans first then say here is an orphange for these poor children.
Just now she will start old age people homes for the people she has stolen from, then she will say “LOOK HOW COMPASIONATE I AM”.
trying unsuccesfully to follow in the footsteps of her MENTOR.
Why did the police not refuse to evict those people? They knew what hardships were coming for those poor people. Oh, I forgot they work for ZANUPF and not the people of Zimbabwe.
I suggest dis-grace be evicted from state house
we were better off under white rule, its time to end this BS. lets take up arms and fight for country and freedom … fade up Zimbabwean…
Lloyd, if only there were a few more of your thinking it would be game , set and match in no time. I, for the life of me, do not understand how the whole Zimbabwean nation is a bunch of cowards!
Interesting; isn’t it? Government convening a crisis-meeting for blaa, blaaa, blaaa…. What a caring government! Viva Zanu pf government; Viva! A government of the people by the people! VIVA!
But why are we not told who evicted these poor souls from their homes; and to give way to who? All a long zanu pf has been telling us “All black Zimboz are the same and are the sons/daughters of the soil”. That’s what our dear party has been saying, not only that but also that “the enemy was the whiteman who stole land from blacks centuries ago; and the land was supposed to be returned to the rightful owners – ‘black Zimbz by some zanu py definition of course'”.
Big question now is: “Are all these poor souls being evicted not Zimbabwean enough?”. Yes, many of us are Zimbabwean enough – I for was amply told so way back in early 2000 when I was asked to go and renounce some citizenship of some country that I never had – except that Mudede and zanu pf could selectively
trace the history of my ancestors to that country.