By Fanuel Chinowaita
NYANGA authorities have been urged to move swiftly to protect families of deceased liberation war veterans from attempts to challenge their land rights, with calls for all disputes to be subjected to proper verification and due process.
Nyanga councilor Ernest Magadzire said the death of a war veteran should not leave his or her family vulnerable to losing land lawfully allocated under Zimbabwe’s Land Reform Programme.
Magadzire said authorities must take seriously reports of attempts to dispossess legitimate beneficiaries, particularly where the families of deceased war veterans are involved.
“Most importantly, vulnerable families must not be placed at risk simply because the original beneficiary is deceased,” he said.
He said land acquired by liberation war veterans was more than an economic asset, arguing that it represented part of the legacy of Zimbabwe’s liberation struggle.
Magadzire pointed to President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s repeated position that the Land Reform Program is irreversible and protected, and that war veterans, their children and dependants should enjoy security of tenure.
He also cited Mnangagwa’s declaration that the welfare of war veterans was inseparable from that of their families.
Magadzire said the principle should be applied when dealing with land belonging to families of deceased liberation war veterans.
He further cited Government’s National Development Strategy 2, which he said provides measures to ensure that dependents of deceased liberation war veterans continue to receive appropriate benefits.
The councilor also invoked the position of War Veterans, Ex-Political Prisoners, Detainees and Restrictees League secretary Douglas Mahiya, who has backed the transition from offer letters to secure, bankable title deeds.
Mahiya has described the move as a way of turning land secured through the liberation struggle into “multi-generational wealth”, according to Magadzire.
Magadzire said that principle was particularly important for children left behind by deceased war veterans, arguing that their parents’ land should provide security and livelihoods rather than expose them to vulnerability.
He called on Nyanga authorities to establish mechanisms for receiving and escalating cases involving families who fear losing their land.
“Where a liberation war veteran or his or her family holds legitimate documentation confirming the allocation or lawful occupation of land, that position must be properly recognised and protected pending determination of any genuine dispute,” he said.
He said competing claims should be subjected to verification by competent land authorities, with decisions based on official records, applicable laws and supporting documentation.
Magadzire warned against intimidation and unlawful evictions, saying the death of a war veteran should not be exploited as an opportunity to undermine a family’s legitimate interests.
“No family should be intimidated. No beneficiary should be unlawfully removed,” he said.
However, he cautioned against framing land disputes as racial conflicts, saying the fundamental issue was the protection of the country’s land reform program and the rights of lawful beneficiaries.
He said legitimate claims should be treated according to the law regardless of the race or background of the claimant.
Magadzire said the children of deceased war veterans could be particularly vulnerable because they might lack the resources and institutional knowledge their parents possessed to defend family land.
He urged Nyanga leadership to ensure that such cases are documented using offer letters, permits, leases, title documentation, correspondence, land records and other relevant evidence.
“The answer to land disputes must always be law, evidence and due process,” he said.
Magadzire said protecting legitimate beneficiaries would also safeguard the integrity of the Land Reform Program and the credibility of Government’s land administration system.
He urged authorities not to allow the death of liberation war veterans or the passage of time to weaken the legitimate land interests of their families.