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The villagers, who claim to have been at the resettlement area since 1982, recently clashed with workers from a construction company contracted by the town council who intended to start developing the land.
“The work by the construction company is now on hold after we protested last week when they came and started grading our fields. We then attacked them because to us, they are intruders and we don’t know them,” said one of the affected villagers, Mr Rainford Kamuchacha.
Mr Kamuchacha said they were surprised when workers of the council-contracted company, RM Construction, invaded their fields and started clearing the land.
“We did not receive any communication from the council about the new development. They did their application and got the land without even notifying us. The problem is we have nowhere to go.
“This is why we are saying we will fight to the bitter end. If it means getting arrested we are prepared for that because this area is the only place we know,” he said.
Another villager, Mr Anderson Matanana, said all affected villagers were still struggling to come to terms with the latest development.
He echoed Mr Kamuchacha’s sentiments that the council did not communicate the development to the villagers.
“We are not against urban expansion but we were supposed to be engaged. We are not squatters at this place and we have offer letters from Runde Rural District Council hence our stay here is legal. Why is it that we did not get any communication as to the new development only to see strangers invading our land with earth moving machinery,” he said.
Mr Matanana said they had since approached Chief Masunda to have the problem solved.
“The chief said he is behind us and he has since met the council and DA’s office officials. We are waiting for him for a way forward because we cannot be held at ransom as if we were squatters,” he said.
Zvishavane Town Council secretary, Mr Max Mugandani, confirmed the land dispute.
He, however, referred this reporter to the Midlands Provincial Administrator’s office for comment.
“There is a dispute of that nature but the best person to comment over it is the Provincial Administrator because the housing project which needs to be constructed at the disputed land is a Government project,” he said.
Efforts to get a comment from the provincial administrator, Ms Cecilia Chitiyo, were fruitless as she was said to be out of the country.
Gweru district administrator Mr Shepard Marwei, who is standing in for Ms Chitiyo, did not answer his mobile phone which kept on ringing.