Climate Migrants in Zimbabwe Face Deportation Risks

Mutare, Zimbabwe – New homes are springing up on the hillsides of Zimbabwe's Eastern Highlands, a lush mountain region that has become a destination for those fleeing drought in the country's arid zones. Many come hoping to rebuild their lives on land where crops can still thrive. Now, they fear they may be forced to leave as the government intensifies its crackdown on illegal settlements.

Officially referred to by authorities as "illegal settlers" and sometimes pejoratively called "land invaders," many say they moved because increasingly erratic rainfall and recurrent drought made farming back home untenable.

Stretching about 320 kilometers from Nyanga to Chipinge district along the Zimbabwe-Mozambique border, the Eastern Highlands remain one of Zimbabwe's most fertile regions. With consistent rainfall, rich soils, and year-round rivers, the area has become a magnet for thousands fleeing harsh climate conditions in Zimbabwe's dry lowlands.

Lloyd Gweshengwe, 43, a migrant living in the Eastern Highlands, told Al Jazeera: "I came here 18 years ago and have lived here ever since. We have nowhere else to go." This year's harvest gives him hope. "I have a very good maize harvest. I expect to get several bags of maize, enough to feed my family for the whole year. I will sell the surplus," he said, standing beside piles of harvested maize. But that food security may not last long.

At a stakeholder meeting in Mutare last month, Zimbabwe's Manicaland Provincial Affairs Minister Misheck Mugadza announced a tougher stance on illegal settlements. He said he had directed the Zimbabwe Republic Police and the National Prosecuting Authority to intensify arrests and prosecution of traditional leaders, middlemen, and government officials involved in illegal land allocation. "There will be no leniency for corruption," Mugadza said at the meeting. "The Environmental Management Agency must enforce Environmental Impact Assessment requirements and environmental protection laws in ecologically sensitive areas. Wetlands, river banks, and forests are not for sale. Traditional leaders must operate strictly under the Traditional Leaders Act and report illegal activities to relevant authorities." The government says the measure is necessary to restore order in land management, curb corruption, and protect the environment from degradation caused by unplanned settlements.

In reality, the situation in Manicaland province is more complex. Many families at risk of eviction say their relocation was not driven by land speculation but by worsening climate conditions that made farming harder. Gweshengwe grew up in Village C in Gutaurare, a dry part of Mutare district, where rain-fed farming is no longer viable. Like many others, he eventually moved to the wetter Eastern Highlands to find arable land. "I'm not sure what the government intends to do, but we beg them to legalize our settlement," he said. "Demolitions haven't started in our area, but we hear news of what's happening elsewhere." Similarly, Simon Chanakira, 44, Gweshengwe's neighbor, moved to the Eastern Highlands from drought-prone Chitora to seek a better life.

Independent researcher Trymore Maganga told Al Jazeera that illegal settlements in the Eastern Highlands have become a coping strategy for households affected by climate change, though not a long-term solution. "These settlements leave long-standing land injustices unresolved, create legal insecurity for migrants, increase environmental and disaster risks, and often trigger social tensions," he said.

Human rights lawyer Blessing Nyamaropa told Al Jazeera that Zimbabwe lacks a specific policy framework addressing climate-induced migration. "Anyone occupying land without following proper procedures is considered an illegal occupier," he said. "In most cases, people approach traditional leaders, pay a fee, and are allocated land. Traditional leaders do not have that authority." He said some migrants have settled on commercial farms without formal permission from the Ministry of Lands. "Occupation of state land without a permit, lease, or letter of offer is illegal. The government has used the law to arrest and evict such people from that land," he said.

Despite the legal framework, Nyamaropa argues that mere law enforcement cannot resolve the crisis, calling for awareness and structured responses to climate displacement. "There must be acknowledgment from all stakeholders that we have a challenge. Affected people should approach relevant government departments so they can be legally settled," he said. For now, Gweshengwe continues to tend his fields while awaiting clarity on what lies ahead. "We have nowhere else to go," he said.