Chilonga: Villagers in Zimbabwe face loss of land, livelihoods

Villagers in Chilonga in Zimbabwe’s Masvingo province are being kicked off their land, paving way for growing lucerne grass By Jeffrey Moyo HARARE, Zimbabwe At 27 years old and a farmer after graduating from university three years ago, Victor Vhikela is suddenly faced with the sad reality of losing his 12-hectare plot of land as the Zimbabwe government moves in to parcel it out to a dairy firm aiming to grow stockfeed. Graduating with a degree in Peace and Governance with Development studies from Zimbabwe’s Solusi University, Vhikela had high hopes of landing his dream job. Sadly, with the country faced with 90% unemployment according to the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions, his dream evaporated. Instead, he found himself engrossed in farming in his home village in Chilonga, located in Chiredzi in Masvingo province. But that has met with yet another fate -- the coming of a giant dairy firm to grow stockfeed known as lucerne grass on villagers’ land. Displaced for generations His fate is shared by Livson Chikutu, 44, also a villager in