Published: 8 hours ago

Chief Masuku of Matobo District has ordered an immediate suspension of the ongoing land redistribution exercise at Fox Farm in Matabeleland South, following mounting allegations of corruption, bribery, and the exclusion of long-term villagers from the beneficiary list.

Speaking to Southern Eye, the traditional leader said the process had been hijacked by corrupt officials who were allocating land to outsiders while sidelining locals who have lived on the land for more than a decade.

"I have ordered the whole process to stop until the right criteria are followed," Chief Masuku declared. "We had agreed in several district lands committee meetings that we would start by formalising the stay of locals, but what is happening on the ground is different. We cannot allow people to abuse their offices to violate other people's rights."

The chief's intervention comes amid rising tension at Fox Farm, where villagers are resisting what they describe as a corrupt takeover by senior officials allegedly working with local intermediaries.

According to villagers, the dispute pits them against Matobo District Lands Officer Johane Zifunze and a Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) official based in Gwanda, who are accused of orchestrating the manipulation of land lists for personal gain.

Chief Masuku said the current conduct by some officials runs contrary to President Emmerson Mnangagwa's directive that "no one should be left behind" in national development.

"We are peace-loving citizens, but if locals are not given first preference in their own area, where are they supposed to go?" he asked. "These are original people who have been here for more than 10 years, but they are being chased away to make room for outsiders. Until the right thing is done, we will not budge."

Several villagers shared accounts of alleged bribery and manipulation of the allocation process. One villager, a Zanu PF branch official, said he was tricked into paying what he believed was a "registration fee" in exchange for land.

"There is a syndicate involving the land officer and some locals," he said. "They bought a goat from me for US$40 but only paid US$5, saying the remainder would go towards my land registration. Later, I discovered my name had been removed from the list, and my stand was given to an outsider."

Another villager claimed that his stand - on which he had made significant investments - was reallocated to a relative of a senior official.

"Why are they targeting those who have developed their land? Why not give their friends undeveloped stands?" he asked.

A local man identified only as Nyagari, who was accused of being part of the alleged syndicate, denied any involvement.

"There is nothing like that happening. I'm not the lands officer. Go and ask them," he said.

Matabeleland South Provincial Affairs and Devolution Minister Albert Nguluvhe confirmed that he was aware of the dispute and had begun investigations.

"I'm seized with the matter and will be on the ground this week to find an amicable solution," Nguluvhe said. "I have heard the chief's side of the story. If locals are denied the right to their place, where are they going to go? I will be there to hear the story from the other side."

The Fox Farm land dispute has exposed deep-seated tensions between traditional authorities and government officials, raising broader concerns about transparency and fairness in Zimbabwe's rural land redistribution programme.
- Southern Eye

You might also want to read this

• Zimbabwe's Nate Landman sets franchise tackles record
• Land disputes dominate traditional court hearings
• Marondera council in shady land grab
• Land barons continue to wreak havoc in Harare
• High Court orders Leengate to vacate Rainham land
• Land bonanza for Zimbabwe civil servants, war veterans
• Bulawayo fails to avail land for development
• Land sales fuel Harare's Ardbennie rapid industrialisation
• White and black farmers still bear the scars of Zimbabwe's land grabs