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Leonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
ABOUT 400 families who are reportedly practising stream bank cultivation on a Zambezi River basin in Hwange District’s Msuna area have been ordered to vacate.

The place is a fishing island with 21 lodges and a number of tourism activities. The Environmental Management Agency (Ema) recently issued $500 tickets to most of the villagers ordering them to leave or face arrest.

The villagers have however, been adamant saying they have stayed in the area and grown crops on the basin for decades since their forefathers settled there in the 1920s. Over the years the families from eight villages around Msuna Hills, Kancheza and Dambwamkulu would leave their homesteads during the dry season and settle on the flood plain to grow crops.

They would return to their homesteads on the onset of the rainy season after harvesting. The basin is reportedly wet during the dry season making crop production viable and because of recurrent droughts, the villagers have now permanently settled in the area hence authorities are now pushing for their eviction. Some villagers claimed that they are being evicted to pave way for some tourism activities.

“Six villages are affected. We know there are some tour operators who have influenced the decision so that they have the island for their hippos. Right now people have been fined $500 each by Ema who have threatened to slash the maize crop which is nearing maturity,” said one villager, Ms Pretty Ncube.

Another villager said evicting them would leave many facing hunger.

“We have been growing crops on that island for many years and now they want us to leave because white operators don’t want Tonga huts near the river saying we make noise for their hippos. If the motive is genuine, they should start in Hwange and evict everyone who settled along Deka River where similar activities are happening. Ema has issued everyone tickets and people were given until this week to vacate,” said a villager.

Ema Matabeleland North provincial manager Mrs Chipo Mpofu-Zuze said Ema officers were set to visit the area for further assessment of activities. She warned citizens against practising stream bank cultivation.

“Our officers have to go back and assess then we can know how to proceed,” she said.

One of the village heads Mrs Rosemary Shoko said the whole community is worried.

“People have been cultivating on that area for many decades. They want the land for their hippos which is not right. Now people’s crops are almost mature and they want to slash them. What will people eat?” she asked.

Hwange District Development Coordinator Mr Simon Muleya confirmed the eviction of the villagers and dismissed as untrue that the eviction was meant to benefit individuals.

“The reason for eviction is because they are ploughing near the river which is causing land degradation and siltation. Meetings have been held with them but they insist that the place belonged to their ancestors who lived there doing stream bank cultivation. It’s not true that they are being evicted to pave way for some whites,” said Mr Muleya. — @ncubeleon