Africa-Press – Mozambique. Small farmers in the Romão neighbourhood, in Maputo city, are upset by the alleged usurpation and sale of land reserved for the practice of agriculture. Allegedly, some of the Armando Guebuza Agricultural Association board members are involved in selling the land.
Wielding hoes and machetes, the disgruntled farmers danced in repudiation of the alleged sale of their land. Indeed, the place where they gathered was once a small-holding plot, but has now supposedly been sold for development.
Confirmation comes from the builder in charge of the work there. “From the moment someone buys it, it is no longer a farm, but their land, and therefore they have the right to do whatever they want with it,” he says.
While they on the one hand denounce the usurpation of the land, they on the other proceed with the building work.
Verónica Sitoe, who has been earning her living on these plots for 40 years, alleges that association’s leaders are selling land in an area that has been given over to small-holding since shortly after independence.
“They are our leaders, those who run the association since the death of Macuácua, who was our president. We wait for the answer from the association, but even so, the construction works continue. We want to know what is happening, but we are getting no answers,” she complains.
Jacinto Manjate, one of the members of the association committee allegedly implicated, also says that the leaders of the association should be held accountable for the scheme already underway.
On the other hand, the secretary of the Armando Guebuza Association accused of being involved in the alleged sale of the machambas, says that this is a complex situation, because, so far, there is no applicable land use title [DUAT].
She also maintains that there was a change in the use category (of the land), and that a parcelling of the land carried out by the Municipality of Maputo is in progress.
“The Municipality of Maputo failed to parcel, entered the area reserved for agriculture and we, from the Armando Guebuza Association, want the DUAT for these machambas,” she says.
Land in Mozambique is by law owned by the state, so its sale or intermediation is a crime. In light of the events in the Romão neighbourhood, the KaMavota Municipal District administration says it wants to hold a meeting and hear the parties involved in order to learn about the problem, about which it says it has so far been unaware.
By
Amandio Borges
