Muzarabani Villagers Face Displacement
Hundreds of villagers around Muzarabani Growth Point in Mashonaland Central Province face displacement to pave way for the expansion of the growth point.
The villagers, through their traditional leaders, have sought assistance from the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights (ZLHR) to stop their impending eviction.
The affected villagers claim they were not given alternative land to relocate to.
A letter written by the villagers through lawyer Paidamoyo Saurombe to the Muzarabani Rural District Council (MRDC) reads in part:
Any relocation of villagers must be done in terms of the provisions of the law; and that there should be adequate notice and suitable relocation areas provided by MRDC.
There should be compensation to those who will be affected and adequate provisions to preserve the cultural and historical heritage of the area, hence a blanket approach, which disturbs the way of life of the village heads and the villagers would be undesirable and unlawful.
The letter was copied to Local Government and Public Works Minister July Moyo.
The villagers demanded to be availed of a map that shows that their villages were in the Muzarabani growth point catchment area. They wrote:
In that vein, in terms of section 62 of the Constitution of Zimbabwe, read with section 7 of the Freedom of Information Act (Chapter 10:33), which promotes public access to governance information for the purpose of exercising accountability, we request to be provided with the following documents and information: The 1983 map for Muzarabani growth point, the October 1987 map for Muzarabani growth point, and the ground plan for Muzarabani growth point.
| NewsDay
