Four thousand Whitecliffe residents, most of them civil servants who illegally settled on the private farm in Harare in 2006, will be evacuated shortly after the government failed to fulfill its promise to pay US$44 million to the property owner.
Evictions are scheduled to take place by April 2024.
The owner of the 1,065.7 hectare farm, Edward Nyanywa Bfugari (Jr), confirmed the development in an interview with The Mirror and said there would be no backing down on the evictions.
He said that the final decision to carry out the evictions came after a series of false promises by the government to compensate him for his land.
The farm was compulsorily acquired by the government in 2006, divided by the then Minister of Local Government, Public Works and National Housing, Ignatius Chombo, and distributed free of charge to 4,000 civil servants and other people, as ZANU-PF faced a threat of defeat at the polls by the Movement for Change Democratic opposition. Eddies Pfugari Properties contested the compulsory acquisition in the High Court and High Court and got his farm back.
The company subsequently obtained an eviction order from the Supreme Court for the 4,000 illegal settlers, but the government approached Pfugari and offered to pay US$44 million for the property so that the residents would not be evicted.
Beneficiaries have so far been told that the land belongs to the government and their tenure is secure. This propaganda has become especially worse now when Zanu PF is contesting a by-election for Zvimba East constituency on February 4, 2024. However, a group of residents who tried to obtain title deeds for the terraces from the Ministry of Local Government were told the truth. That title deeds can only be obtained from Pfugari who is the rightful owner of the land.
Whitecliffe has become a sprawling suburb with some of the best homes in Harare, and the evictions will take a lifelong toll on residents.
Pfugari was represented by Scanlen and Holdings in court cases lasting until 2016. The eviction order was issued by Judge David Mangota against the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement and all parties claiming occupation through it.
“And now, you are required and directed to expel the said Minister of Lands and Rural Settlement and/or all persons claiming occupation through him, their goods and possessions, from and to occupy and possess anything from the said premises, and to leave the same to the end so that the said Pfugari Estates may enter into them.” In peace and possession,” reads part of the evacuation order.
“We agreed with the government in 2019 a US$44 million settlement so that it could take over the farm and secure the survival of civil servants. However, we have waited for years for payment but nothing has come. When we lobbied for the funds last year, I offered The government made a down payment of US$21, but then backed down and said they could only pay US$2 million, which is a slap in the face.
“So our board of directors of Eddies Pfugari Properties has decided that we will immediately evict the illegal settlers and keep our land and that is what we will do in the next few weeks. The court order issued by Judge Mangota is clear on this matter and the sheriff will use the police to carry out the eviction,” Pfugari said.
Local Government and Public Works Minister Winston Chitando could not be reached for comment because his mobile phone was not reachable.
Meanwhile, residents aware of the quagmire agreed to salvage the situation by forming the South Whitecliffe Residents’ Association (WSRA) and approached Pfugari Properties offering to pay for their parking. Negotiations are said to have begun recently.
Meanwhile, Zanu PF councilor Ephraim Tindobenyo Gonzo continues to reassure residents that his party will facilitate terrace titles and there is no reason to worry.
Sources claimed that Gonzo is selling land in Fugari to desperate house seekers and supporters of his Zanu PF party.
Gonzo could not be reached for comment as his mobile phone was unavailable.
WSRA President Maxwell Guatier confirmed the formation of the association and said involving Pfugari was the right and legal thing to do. He said that the residents of White Cliff would remain squatters without title deeds and security of tenure as long as they did not settle the matter with Bvogari.
Residents could also be evacuated at any time, he said.
“We went to the Ministry of Local Government and several senior officials including Engineer Nehru told us in no uncertain terms that the land belonged to Bvogari and not the government. They told us that we could only get the title deeds of the terraces from Bvogari.
“We have since sent envoys to Bvogari to try to avoid evictions, and we understand that he is willing to sell the land to us at US$5 per square meter, and those with 300 square meters will pay US$1,500.
They lied to us for 19 years that this is a government Land . The problem is that the issue is being politicized for the sake of votes. Politicians lie to residents, saying that the government will eventually give them the terraces for free; It’s a lie.
“Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi was recently telling residents that the government will give Bvogari another piece of land somewhere and will settle the matter. This is a lie again,” Guatireri said.
He said the formed association already has 800 members, and they will meet on Monday with Bvogari regarding the pending evictions and our intention to reach a private settlement.
“Politicians have harassed members of the association and even threatened to beat us up for negotiating with Bvogari. Now the same politicians are demanding positions in the association. We have told them that our association is apolitical and we want it to remain neutral,” Guaterre said.
Zvimba East CCC MP Oliver Mutasa urged residents to align their positions with Pfugari.
“There are Zanu PF politicians who are against the regularization of this suburb because they are profiting from the illegal sale of stalls at the Bvogari farm. They are holding residents to ransom for vote-seeking purposes.
“There are two options for residents; Either engage Pfugari or get kicked out. “There is no third way,” Mutasa told Masvingo Mirror.
