The wrangle involves villagers who were displaced during the colonial period and farmers who were recently resettled by the government. Chief Chirumhanzu said he has since reported the case to the District Administrator’s office and the police as it had the potential of creating a major conflict. “There is a lot of fighting in my area; especially in the Chishuku village where villagers have come up with a committee that is resettling people in every available space. At times they are resettling people on pieces of land already occupied by others who were properly resettled by the government, said the Chief. “We will be meeting the District Administrator and we have already sought intervention from the police to stop the resettlement until the issue is resolved. The sooner the intervention comes the better because there is a lot of physical fighting and people may end up getting hurt.”
Villagers said most of the group who were resettling on the pieces of land claim to be former owners who were displaced during the colonial period. “This has caused a lot of fighting as the current owners have a legal standing to occupy the land,” said a villager from Magamba village in Lalapansi.