1.5 On or around the 1st of November 2017, Makoni Rural District Council
officials went to Yorkshire Farm and destroyed complainants' homesteads
without giving them any notice. They highlighted that most households were
out in the open with no shelter.
RESPONDENTS’ ACCOUNTS
2. The ZHRC, in investigating the issues raised by the complainants, interviewed
the following:
2.1 Provincial Lands Officer (PLO) – the ZHRC spoke to the Provincial Lands
Officer who denied the allegations raised by the complainants and stated
as follows:
2.1.1 That the complainants were not former farm workers but were illegal
squatters who had left their homes to illegally settle on the farm;
2.1.2 That sometime in September 2016, notices were issued advising all
illegal settlers to vacate the farms. However, the evictions were not
executed due to political and economic reasons. The evictions were
then executed in November 2017 after proper verbal reminders to
vacate were given to the complainants;
2.1.3 That there is a National Taskforce with Cabinet Authority to deal
specifically with the issue of illegal settlers around the country. The
Task force was responsible for distributing notices and advising
complainants to vacate the farms sometime in October 2017;
2.1.4 He further advised that former farm workers were being dealt with
differently. That is, they were being given 1 hectare each and offer
letters.
2.1.5 He indicated that the issue of illegal settlers had to be dealt with as
failure to do so would result in commercial farms being turned into
communal farms as they would be filled by the illegal settlers, who
have homes to go to. Such a scenario would therefore be prejudicial
to food security in the country.
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