ED Displaces 17,000 People

ED Displaces 17,000 People2 August 2025

ED Displaces 17,000 People

By A Correspondent-The Zimbabwean government is preparing to forcibly displace over17,000 people—about3,652 households—from communities near Tugwi-Mukosi Dam to make way for the implementation of the Tugwi-Mukosi Development Masterplan.

This new round of evictions comes just 11 years after another 18,000 people weredisplacedwhen the dam filled up, an episode widely condemned by local and international human rights organisations for itscruelty and chaos. Most of those families were dumped in theinhospitable Nuanetsi Ranch, where they enduredinhuman conditionsin makeshift transit camps—without food, water, healthcare, or proper shelter.

According to the masterplan—developed by the University of Zimbabwe, Midlands State University, National University of Science and Technology, and Great Zimbabwe University—the displacement is necessary to facilitate state-led development projects. The document was released in May this year.

Yet, for the affected residents ofChivi and Masvingo Rural, the promises ring hollow.

After the previous displacements, government pledged compensation for lost property and infrastructure.Only a small fraction—$3.5 million—was paid, and many of the victims died waiting in vain for what was rightfully theirs.

Despite claims in the new masterplan that funding for compensation is available, many locals remain deeply sceptical.

“We’ve heard this before,” said a resident who asked not to be named. “They talk about compensation and services, but what happened last time? We were left to die.”

Tugwi-Mukosi Community Development Association president Tafirei Mashavakuresaid that while the community supports development, the rights of the displaced must not be trampled.

“We are pro-development,” he said, “but we expect the affected households to receive fair compensation and to be part and parcel of the development process. They must be resettled where they can access healthcare, schools, water, and other basic services.”

The looming displacement will affect families inwards 22, 24, 28, and 31 in Chivi, as well aswards 22, 30, and 34 in Masvingo Rural.

When contacted for comment,Ministry of Local Government and Public Works spokesperson Gabriel Masvorasaid the masterplan was yet to be formally adopted.

“It has not yet been adopted and I would not want to pre-empt what will come out.

We will be able to comment when they are done and implementing,” said Masvora.

As history threatens to repeat itself, families living in the shadows of Tugwi-Mukosi Dam fear they are once again being treated as collateral damage in the name of development—displaced, forgotten, and forced to start over without the support they deserve.

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Source: ZimEye