…As govt resolves to relocate sugarcane farmers surrounding Buffalo Range International Airport
Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI-A multi-million dollar agriculture investment is in limbo after cabinet last week made an about turn to a previous decision on investments by black farmers citing the land falls in the critical zones of Buffalo Range International Airport.
Initially the farmers were allocated pieces of land by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement, which is government’s land allocating body.
The airport, which receives not less than 500 chartered planes a year received a facelift of its terminal building in 2015 which was made possible by a Public Private Partnership undertaken by the Civil Aviation Authority of Zimbabwe (CAAZ), Malilangwe Trust and Tongaat Hulett Zimbabwe.
There are also plans reportedly to upgrade the airport to improve the capacity of the runway and other facilities which are rumoured to be sponsored by the People’s Republic of China, whose investment might be hindered by the growing agricultural activities surrounding the airport.
During the nineteenth cabinet meeting, Minister of Transport and Infrastructural Development, Felix Mhona indicated that there was need to relocate all farmers settled around the airport due to security reasons as they were on the critical zones.
“For the purpose of expanding Buffalo Range Airport in Masvingo province, cabinet resolved that all the farmers settled on the critical zones of the airport should be relocated. The relocation will also enhance aviation security standards.
“Cabinet noted that the continued farming operations in the airport’s critical zones have resulted in a sharp increase in human, domestic and wild animal incursions on the airfield. The cropping activities have attracted bird activity to the aerodrome environs, whilst the rampant cutting down of trees, veld fires and quarry mining activities on the western side of the airport has led to serious land degradation,” read the post cabinet briefing.
Colonel Philip Toperesu who is one of the farmers who have invested millions of dollars in land clearance and pivots said it is still premature to tell what will happen as government is still yet to make any official communication to them.
“It is still premature to indicate what is going to happen because we are still yet to get an official communication from government. Maybe nothing is going to happen or something will happen. So we can’t discuss about any figures yet because we are yet to get anything from the investments we made. We are still yet to harvest because it is still a virgin land where we have installed our pivots,” said Colonel Toperesu.
Former Zanu PF Chiredzi Town Council Chairperson Francis Moyo was allocated an extensive 150 hectares of land, with about 30 ha currently under sugarcane and has utilized every resource he had towards the development of the field.
“I am still yet to receive any communication from government pertaining to the issue,” he said.
Moyo who is set to squeeze shoulders with Chiredzi West Member of Parliament Farai Musikavanhu in the run up to 2023 elections would have been given a lifetime blow as the farm was poised to be oiling machine for his campaign.
Another beneficiary Gondokondo Chitesa who is into a partnership with Mangwa Quip said he is not worried though he has not yet recovered anything from the investment as he indicated they will first get a communication and later be given time to relocate.
“We are yet to recover our investments and are not worried about that because government is yet to communicate with us about such developments. This needs more time,” said Chitesa.
Buffalo Range International Airport is Zimbabwe’s fourth largest airport in terms of volume after Robert Mugabe, Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo and Victoria Falls which is a gateway to the Lowveld which is home to the wildlife-rich Gonarezhou National Park which is part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP), The Save Valley Conservancy and the Malilangwe Trust.
