While commissioning Allied Timbers’ $1million new Gwindingwe Sawmill plant in the area two weeks ago, Kasukuwere admitted that the settlers’ activities had caused serious environmental degradation.
“To date 30,000 hectares of plantations have been lost to illegal settlements. The challenge has been coupled with uncontrolled fires that destroy vast tracks of plantations as settlers try to clear land for agricultural purposes,” he said.
Sources in the area told The Zimbabwean that following his tour, the local district administrator’s office had expressed its intention to evict the settlers. “All chiefs and headmen in the affected plantations were last week summoned by the district administrator. They were asked to inform the invaders about government’s intention to evict them from the plantations,” said a chief, who refused to be named for fear of victimisation.
Traditional leaders and senior Zanu (PF) officials have been accused of settling people in the plantations owned by Border Timbers and Allied Timbers. The settlements have been rampant particularly during election times. The invaders have turned vast plantations into small pockets of maize and rapoko fields.
They have built mud huts and have planted crops on very steep land in the mountainous terrain. The settlers who invaded one of Border Timbers plantations in Chimanimani have hijacked one of the company’s workers compounds and converted it into an unregistered primary school.
Post published in: News