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Chronicle Reporter
Insiza North MP Cde Andrew Langa has said he is engaging higher offices to block the impending eviction of families settled on Lochard Farm in the constituency.

About 2,000 families have been declared illegal settlers and ordered to vacate the farm, which they have called home for more than 10 years, by 31 July.

The families are accused of illegally settling themselves.

Cde Langa said Zanu-PF would never allow the forced removal of people from land and he would discuss the issue with Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Douglas Mombeshora.

“I’m strongly engaging my counterpart in government and also higher offices. Zanu-PF will not accept this,” Cde Langa, who is also the Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture, said.

He said Insiza North constituency was largely a former white commercial farming area.

A few wards were set aside for resettlement soon after independence in 1980 while the majority were only turned into resettlement areas during the fast track land reform programme of 2000.

Cde Langa said families which now face eviction have been paying unit tax to the local authority for some time.

He said as the area’s representative in parliament, he was being kept in the dark over the proposed evictions although he was responsible for the welfare of his constituents, raising questions on the motive of the removals.

“If the decision to evict these people is genuine, the discussions should’ve involved the MP and all stakeholders. The decision should’ve been communicated to the MP. I represent them in terms of social needs and well being. But I hear about the evictions though the grapevine,” he said.

Cde Langa accused “the technical committee” pushing for the removal of villagers from Lochard Farm of being bogus.

Insiza Rural District Council chairman Daniel Mpofu claims to chair the committee.

Cde Langa said, oddly, no representatives from government departments sat in the committee.

“That committee is pushing its own agenda. It’s not a technical committee at all. A technical committee should have Agritex, the DA, the department of water etc,” he said. “Where was the committee when people were building these structures?”

Cde Langa said the district administrator, as chairperson of the district lands committee, should speak on land issues.

“Mpofu should mind his ward in Insiza South. He doesn’t understand what carrying capacity of a farm is, that’s not his area.

“He shouldn’t be the spokesman of land reform (in Insiza), the District Administrator is our chairperson.”

Mpofu has insisted that the families would be kicked out on July 31 because there were 2,000 more families than the property could carry.

He accused most of the targeted settlers of having bought land.

Cde Langa noted that most people on the farm supported Zanu-PF and voted for the party, enabling it to wrestle the seat which was in an opposition stronghold.

“These are people who voted for our party.

“I’ve worked with them as MP and they’ve always supported the party,” he said.

But he said he was against buying of land, saying it was bequeathed to Zimbabweans by heroes who fought for the independence of the country.