Chingwizi resettlement families weigh court action over investor land claims
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More than 3,000 families resettled at Chingwizi in Mwenezi after the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam displacement are considering legal action after the Lands Ministry failed to answer questions about investors said to be claiming their land.
More than 3,000 families in Chingwizi are considering taking the government to court over a growing land dispute, fearing they could lose their homes after alleged investors reportedly emerged claiming rights to their resettlement land. The residents occupy Chingwizi Section on Nuanetsi Ranch A in Mwenezi District, where they were relocated after being displaced during the construction of the Tokwe-Mukosi Dam.
Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights, representing the families, said lawyers from Shava Law Chambers wrote to the Ministry of Lands and Rural Development on 15 October requesting information about the investors and the legal status of the land allocated to residents. The legal team also sought copies of allocation documents, details identifying the alleged investors, confirmation that authorities have not lawfully withdrawn the families' occupation rights, and assurances against possible evictions and demolitions. According to lawyer Obey Shava, authorities have never issued termination notices or repossession orders, and the families have received no compensation offers and have not agreed to relocate.
The two-week deadline for the ministry's response has passed without clarification. "Failure to respond shows that Government is aware of what is happening and who the investors are. The two weeks have lapsed without a response, and this leaves us with no option but to approach the courts so that the Government releases the information and assures the people of what it intends to do next," Shava said. The lawyers are now consulting the affected families about legal action to compel disclosure.
Authorities relocated the families to Chingwizi under Statutory Instrument 53 of 2014. Many lost homes, agricultural land and family graves during the dam's construction, and were promised permanent settlement and opportunities through irrigation projects linked to the country's largest inland water body. Since their relocation, residents have built houses, schools and clinics on the land, and some have buried relatives there.
The lawyers also raised allegations of intimidation by people linked to the purported investors, including threats of eviction and demolition without court orders or other legal authority, and said some graves were disturbed during the dispute. Masvingo Provincial Secretary for Devolution Addmore Pazvakavambwa described reports of impending evictions as unverified, saying he had received no formal briefing after a recent visit to Mwenezi, and insisted authorities would formally notify residents of any government relocation programme. "If there is a Government programme meant to move people, they will be formally notified. People should not panic after hearing gossip or hearsay," he said.