Respect international borders, villagers urged

THE Mashonaland Central provincial leadership has called on people living along border areas to respect international boundaries to avoid situations where they illegally settle themselves in another country.

In an interview last week, acting provincial development coordinator Mr Cosmas Chiringa said it had come to their attention that some Zimbabweans in areas like Mbire, Mt Darwin, Muzarabani and Rushinga were illegally setting up homesteads in neighbouring Mozambique without official documentation.

Recently 15 families from Mbire illegally settled themselves in Mozambique prompting the authorities in the neighbouring country to write to their Zimbabwean counterparts to address the issue.

“We received reports that 15 families had illegally settled in Mozambique and we asked the Mbire district development co-ordinator and the rural district council to investigate the issue. This proved to be true and we are now working on the issue to ensure that they return to their original homes. We expect them to have moved back to their original homes by the end of November.

“If people want to settle in neighbouring countries they should do all the necessary paperwork as security and immigration issues are also involved. They should not put permanent structures without the necessary documentation,” said Mr Chiringa.

He said because of the porous nature of the border with Mozambique, some people from both countries regularly crossed to access services.

“We have learners coming from Mozambique to access education here, while Zimbabweans regularly cross into Mozambique to access some services there. We know that Zimbabweans have relatives in Mozambique and vice-versa, but international border controlling laws should be adhered to.

“Besides being a security threat, we have challenges in controlling both human and animal diseases in the event of a breakout. Last year, we lost a lot of cattle due to diseases as some of the animals were moving into areas where vaccination had not been carried out.”

He added: “Cases of smuggling of livestock into Mozambique are also rampant along border areas and this should be controlled.”

Mr Chiringa also called for co-existence among people living along border areas to avoid conflicts.

“We will continue carrying out awareness and educational campaigns for our people to respect international borders. Land disputes along the borders should also be solved amicably between traditional leaders to avoid unnecessary conflicts in areas like Rushinga,” he said.

The province is also moving to address the issue of illegal settlers who moved into farms without offer letters.