Mukosi villagers being forced off new land by unidentified investors
Approximately 3,000 families in Zimbabwe are facing displacement from land granted to them by the government after being relocated for the Tokwe-Mukosi dam project. Unidentified investors are claiming ownership of the land, leading to legal intervention by the Zimbabwe Lawyers for Human Rights.
Why it matters
The situation highlights critical issues regarding land rights, government accountability, and the vulnerability of displaced populations in Zimbabwe.
VILLAGERS who were forcibly relocated to make way for Zimbabwe’s largest inland dam, Tokwe-Mukosi, are in another bind as an unnamed investor claims ownership of the land the government gave them.
The close to 3,000 families (20,000 people) who were moved to Chingwizi and promised financial compensation by government in 2014 are now demanding answers from the Ministry of Lands after receiving threats and orders to leave.
Having initially resisted construction of the 9,600-hectare dam, over 20,000 villagers eventually fled their ancestral homes for Chingwizi and areas around Naunetsi Ranch after the area began to flood in 2014.
The government later offered them land, helped them build schools and hospitals and allowed the communities to restart their communal lifestyle.
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