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Boundary dispute razes lives to ashes

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Ndakaitei Denhere looks very fragile.

BUHERA — Ndakaitei Denhere looks very fragile.

OBEY MANAYITI

buhera-homes-burnt-to-the-ground She is worried and has a sense of hopelessness as tears stream down her face.

Denhere braces against the unfriendly weather while sitting among other sad-looking women during a handover ceremony of items donated by well-wishers. She ponders how she would single-handedly manage to look after her four grandchildren she cares for after the death of her children.

Denhere is one of the over 300 villagers from Mafuruse in Buhera who were left homeless after 28 homesteads were razed last month by the Deputy Sheriff and Police, armed with a High Court order.

The houses were destroyed following a long-standing boundary dispute between Mafuruse and Marambanyika village heads. It, however, later emerged that of the destroyed households were not listed on the High Court order.

Victims face starvation

buhera-victims-live-in-the-open

Property including food, clothes and blankets were destroyed in the process rendering the villagers destitute. Some of the affected villagers were now scavenging for food for survival and sleeping in the open during this chilly winter weather.

Denhere said all her belongings were lost when her four houses were destroyed in the fire.

“I am widowed and my children died a few years back leaving only me to take care of my school-going grandchildren,” she said while holding back tears.

“They burnt my five buckets of maize, one bag of groundnuts and household property.  We are now struggling for food and my grandchildren have since dropped out of school. We are sleeping in the open and for us to have a single descent meal a day is a blessing.”

So painful is her story that the three Buhera legislators in attendance, Joseph Chinotimba, Oliver Mandipaka and Ronald Muderedzwa and ZimRights officials promised to do all in their powers to remedy the situation.

Some said they were surviving on wild fruits as their food was destroyed while others claimed their children are now at risk of catching colds and influenza.

in-hat-and-jean-jacket-Buhera-Central-MP-Ronald-Muderedzwa,

“I have seven minor children and now sleep beside them in the open. Now they are coughing a lot and I fear they might get infected by  diseases. I am appealing for help from well-wishers to help us out of this situation,” said Shylet Mapani another village.

She said  besides going to school her children spend most of their time  looking for wild fruits for survival.

Reports say of about 160 schoolchildren, have since stopped going to school because of the challenges they were facing. Parents expressed dismay saying the future of the children was being shattered.

Caiphas Mboho (58) said the destruction of the homes has traumatised villagers. He said villagers were still living in fear of further harassment by the perpetrators of the demolitions.

David Macha said his  maize stall for storing livestock feed was also destroyed by fire.

His livestock now faced starvation in the drought-prone area. Macha said the community valued livestock,  but villagers might be forced to sell most of the animals to raise money for food. Headman Mawire described the situation as catastrophic.

He said  headman Marambanyika, who was the applicant in the matter should be stripped of his powers because he brought untold suffering to the people of Buhera  and turned them into a laughing stock.

Most parts of Buhera are naturally dry and food has always been a challenge. Villagers said they were very pained to lose the little food they had under difficult circumstances.