Cephas Shava
MWENEZI – People in at least six villages in Flora, Ward 16 under Chief Maranda, are bitterly complaining about the selling of pasturelands by village heads who ignore proper land use patterns.
Villages one, two, three, four and five are the worst affected and their leaders are alleged to be ignoring the complaints from their subjects. The village heads have been identified as Bhunere, Mudhogwa, Vhukavhuka, Dhinga Dhinga and Mativunure.
Although repeated efforts to get a comment from any of the implicated village heads were fruitless, Chief Maranda confirmed having heard the matter.
“I have heard that in the Flora area, there is a village head who is involved in the selling of grazing land. So far I am yet to receive any formal report,” said Chief Maranda.
Some concerned villagers told TellZim News that if the ‘greedy’ village heads were not immediately stopped, livestock in the area will soon have inadequate grazing land.
“The village heads are behaving like land officers. They are selling residential stands at a cost ranging from $250 to $400. Some of them are even charging a cow for one to be given a stand in the grazing area.
“The situation needs to be urgently addressed because the land is going very fast and we fear those irregular land sales are doing irreparable damage on the environment and the health of our livestock,” said one villager.
Weather experts have already predicted another El Nino-induced drought in the 2018/2019 farming season, meaning cattle will need bigger grazing land to stay healthy.
Villages one, two, three, four and five are the worst affected and their leaders are alleged to be ignoring the complaints from their subjects. The village heads have been identified as Bhunere, Mudhogwa, Vhukavhuka, Dhinga Dhinga and Mativunure.
Although repeated efforts to get a comment from any of the implicated village heads were fruitless, Chief Maranda confirmed having heard the matter.
“I have heard that in the Flora area, there is a village head who is involved in the selling of grazing land. So far I am yet to receive any formal report,” said Chief Maranda.
Some concerned villagers told TellZim News that if the ‘greedy’ village heads were not immediately stopped, livestock in the area will soon have inadequate grazing land.
“The village heads are behaving like land officers. They are selling residential stands at a cost ranging from $250 to $400. Some of them are even charging a cow for one to be given a stand in the grazing area.
“The situation needs to be urgently addressed because the land is going very fast and we fear those irregular land sales are doing irreparable damage on the environment and the health of our livestock,” said one villager.
Weather experts have already predicted another El Nino-induced drought in the 2018/2019 farming season, meaning cattle will need bigger grazing land to stay healthy.
