1/1 End All Displacements in Independent Zimbabwe
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
On Saturday 17 December, on my way from Harare to Mutare in the company of Hon. Fungai Nhaitai, we came across some families scattered by the roadside in Headlands. They were living in plastic shelters. pic.twitter.com/SpUs0pbbNS
1/2 After passing two such makeshift settlements, we stopped at the third at Mufusire to investigate. We spoke to a man & a woman. The man said he moved to this area in 1984 with his parents after Gvt had set aside the area for resettlement & had organized them into cooperatives
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/3 But recently one Samuel Matonga came and told them he had an offer letter from Ministry of Lands to take over the entire area. Days back Matonga claimed to have obtained a court order to evict them and a sheriff was sent to evict them to transport them to the roadside.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/4 We explained that what was happening to them was wrong & unconstitutional. We talked of many rights that had been violated- Right to shelter, right 2 live in a healthy environment, right to clean water, women's rights, right to food and right to life itself,
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/5 adding that these rights are inseparable and indivisible. When I spoke of Children's rights, the man we were speaking to said his son had died the previous day in this make shift shelter and buried him same day as they could not mourn him by the road side.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/6 He suspected the boy had died due to drinking unsafe water, adding that he was also suffering from a suspected case of diarrhea. He also said the previous night 3 women had given birth in the plastic shelters. We promised to take up the issue with authorities in Mutare.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/7 Y/day we went to see the Manicaland Min. of State for Provincial Affairs & Devolution, Hon. N Matsikenyere. At first she wasn't there as she was attending the First Lady who was touring the City. Later we got a call from her secretary informing us the Minister had returned.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/8 We introduced ourselves and thanked her for welcoming us. We then described the horror we saw in Headlands and expressed our shock and profound sadness that Zimbabweans were reduced to squatters in their own country, 42 years after independence.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/9 The Minister said the matter had been brought to her attention and she had exchanged some messages with the Minister of Lands over the matter. After a lengthy chat the Minister said the offer letter must be withdrawn and she promised to escalate the matter.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/10 She asked us to check with her office 28th of Dec & we will do just that. I hope the matter will be resolved before Xmas. I also shared with my struggle friend Katherine Hughes-Fraitekh who promptly decided to divert her Xmas gift from her brother towards these families.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/11 I will buy some food today and take it to Headlands for delivery with Hon Fungai Nhaitai (He is not a Member of Parliament but an honorable member of our https://t.co/TKMcZDir1J's high time we give this title to deserving people!)
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/12 By the way I was told this area has some sort of an MP who answers to the name Chris Chingosho but he has not visited these distressed families. I did not bother to ask which party he belongs to. Bottom line is he is useless.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/13 Arbitrary displacements, usually driven by greed and callousness (having the heart in the wrong place), are dehumanizing, unconstitutional and against the values and objectives of our liberation struggle.
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022
1/14 No Zimbabwean citizen must be made homeless or landless just to satisfy the greed of an individual. Let us unite in fighting against displacements
— Farai Maguwu (@FMaguwu) December 21, 2022