Centre News Hub
MWENEZI — A Masangula small-scale farmer says he risks losing more than US$100,000 worth of investment after being served with an eviction order to make way for a proposed sugarcane plantation project in Mwenezi District.
The farmer, Madzibaba Peter Dhawana of Chakala Village under Chief Chitanga in Mwenezi East Constituency, is among more than 1,500 villagers reportedly facing relocation from land in the Masangula JB Ranch area, which has been earmarked for development by Zambezi Plantation Company.
Residents in the affected communities say they have not been offered adequate compensation. Some villagers allege they were informed they would receive 10 bags of cement and five roofing sheets each as relocation support.
Dhawana said villagers had instead been allocated four hectares of uncleared land in the Chingwizi area, despite substantial investments already made at their current homesteads.
“I cannot accept losing more than US$100,000 worth of investment on my land. I constructed a dam, built fish ponds, and installed a high-powered solar borehole with a solar-powered irrigation system,” he said.
He added that he had established a goat production project, planted sunflowers, and invested in fish farming on the property.
“I have more than 140 goats, over 20 sheep, and about 400 chickens. I am also growing several hectares of watermelons,” he said.
Some villagers said they have lived in the area for decades and consider the land part of their ancestral heritage. However, officials say the land belongs to the Development Trust of Zimbabwe (DTZ), which reportedly holds an agreement linked to the sugarcane project.
Addmore Pazvakavambwa, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of State for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, said the affected residents were occupying land owned by DTZ rather than state land.
He said the matter therefore falls outside direct government responsibility.
Efforts to obtain comment from officials at Development Trust of Zimbabwe and Zambezi Plantation Company were unsuccessful at the time of publication.
Communities in Masangula Ranch and surrounding parts of Mwenezi District are among several areas affected by relocation linked to expanding commercial sugarcane production in Masvingo Province.
The development has reportedly been associated with broader agricultural investment initiatives involving private sector partners, including Billy Rautenbach, who has previously been linked to ethanol production projects in the region.
Some residents affected by the latest relocation exercise say they were previously displaced by the Tokwe-Mukosi floods, raising concerns about repeated resettlement.
Other areas reportedly affected include Lundi Farm, Magudu Ranch, Mtirikwi Farm, and Chiumburu Farm in Mwenezi District.
Land clearing is already underway in preparation for the proposed large-scale sugarcane plantation and ethanol production project
