Shurugwi North legislator Joseph Mpasi has intervened in a simmering land dispute involving investors and beneficiaries of the land reform programme, urging both parties to resolve their differences through dialogue and cooperation.
The dispute, which has pitted local farmers who benefited from the land reform against private investors seeking to develop commercial projects at the Gwenhoro turn-off in ward 22, has created tension and stalled potential agricultural and developmental progress.
Mpasi said the situation required maturity and compromise for the benefit of the wider community.
“The land question is a sensitive matter, but we must not allow it to divide us,” he said.
“Investors bring resources, technology and markets, while beneficiaries are custodians of the land.
“Both groups stand to gain more if they work together instead of pulling in opposite directions.”
Some land reform beneficiaries accused investors of attempting to push them off land they legally occupy.
“We were resettled here under the government programme, and this land is our source of livelihood,” said one of the beneficiaries.
- Shurugwi North MP lays out 2024 vision
- Shurugwi MP bolsters community sustainability programmes
- Chrome mining boon for Shurugwi families
- Shurugwi North MP fosters development, unity
Keep Reading
“We are not against investment, but we must be consulted and treated with respect. We cannot be displaced again.”
On the other hand, investors expressed concern that disputes and lack of cooperation were discouraging serious capital injection into the area.
Local community leaders also weighed in, urging dialogue to prevent the dispute from escalating into open conflict.
The Ministry of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development has in the past encouraged joint ventures between investors and beneficiaries as a way of enhancing productivity while safeguarding the gains of the land reform programme.
Mpasi said he would facilitate further meetings between the parties and government officials to ensure that a lasting solution is found.
“As your representative, I will not allow disputes to derail progress,” he said. “We must find common ground that protects farmers’ rights while encouraging investment that benefits the whole constituency.”
