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BY JENNIFER DUBE
Saturday, 12 June 2010 18:05
MIDLANDS’ governor Jason Machaya says he is scouting for farms to distribute to senior MDC-T officials in the province including Public Service Minister Eliphas Mukonoweshuro in a move that will raise questions about the former opposition party’s policy on land. Machaya said he was advised by the Ministry of Lands and Rural Resettlement officials that Mukonoweshuro wanted land. He said another MDC-T MP was also on the waiting list. However, Mukonoweshuro said it was a smear campaign as he had never applied for land in line with his party’s policy.
MDC-T is critical of the way government has seized white commercial farms and parcelled them out to Zanu PF loyalists since 2000.
The unity government formed between Zanu PF and the two MDC formations in February last year has failed to stop the chaos on the farms with Zanu PF supporters still invading more properties. “It is true that the minister approached the Ministry of Lands from the head office with a request for a farm,” Machaya said.
“We were advised of his request through the permanent secretary and also that he prefers central estates which are good for cattle ranching.
“The Mvuma District Land Committee was tasked to see if they can get him something in that area and as soon as the land is identified, the minister will be advised accordingly.” Machaya said also on the waiting list were a number of government officials, including members from both MDC formations and Zanu PF.
“But they are waking up a bit too late because there are no more farms to give out in the province,” Machaya said.
“The problem is that a lot of our colleagues took their time to express their interests and now the land redistribution process is almost over.
“Mukonoweshuro only indicated interest just recently, sometime at the beginning of this year if I am not mistaken. “A number of officials are now just going where they think there is land because here in the Midlands for example, the lucky are managing to identify small A1 plots. “We are just trying and if we get anything sizeable, we will give the officials because the system is aware of their pending requests.”
Mukonoweshuro said some people were on a campaign to tarnish his image. “I never applied for a farm in the Midlands area or anywhere in Zimbabwe for that matter,” he said. “This is the second time such allegations have been made about me.
“The first time I was told that I approached someone in Mashonaland Central asking for a farm and now I am learning through you that I approached people in the Midlands with the same request.
“Go to the Ministry of Lands and ask them to show you the papers and you will find I never made such an application. “I have nothing to hide regarding this issue which I am certain is just a malicious fabrication by someone with an agenda to tarnish my name and that of my party.”
Mukonoweshuro said his party was currently waiting for a land audit and its members have other things to preoccupy themselves with than join those grabbing farms. While MDC-T spokesperson Nelson Chamisa was unreachable for comment, an official in the party said it was not possible for any of its members to apply for land under current conditions.
“As MDC, our position is that the land issue is irreversible and you will remember that we were the first to propose land redistribution even before (President Robert) Mugabe and Zanu PF embarked on the exercise,” the official said. “But as a party, we maintain our position that the current land reform exercise leaves a lot to be desired and we are not party to it.”
In 50 years time, your offspring will curse you Mukonoweshuro, for refusing land.Mark my words.Kuda kufadza outsiders.What about the farm we hear was given to Morgan in Beatrice.I have heard that several times.Tichaonerera gore rino.Land issue is irreversible saka vakangwara torai minda.
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They are the same pple who are acusing zanu of distributing land only to its supporters yet they dont go for it. The whole world shld know the truth here that the mdc official position is no to land which is being distributed by zanu.
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Good observation pidigu.We say here is land, and they say no we dont want dirty land.After that they go to BBC and CNN and say Zanu pf is only giving their cronies land.I mean how absurd are these guys.A confused bunch if you ask me.
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Valid point, these guys want to impress outsiders while blowing out their chances of getting land. Ngavatore minda
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If the MDC is as useless as you Claim, WHY are you soo bothered by what they say or do??? It wont change anything in Zimbabwe as you claim and it wont change anything in MDC again as you claim. So why REALLY are you WORRIED???
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They are like the irritating vuvuzelas. A simple nuisance.
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They way you go on about their lack of actions and lack of wisdom, its way way beyond a SIMPLE nuisance. Deep down you shaking in your boots.
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Land yokuitisa chii nayo? Yekurima mashamba? Tell me of an ordinary man from from the street who suddenly became wealthy because he had raided a white man’s farm? Basa rekuvaka tumatangwena nekuchengeta a few road runners dzino feeder from the bush toilets. Are you aware that global warming is soon going to render all those farms you confisticated from white farmers useless if you dont develop proper farming infrustructure? I would rather use my PhD to make an honest living for myself. No to land that is tainted with blood. Knowledge is power
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you are going to use your PhD to get employment from Chinotimba or someone of that nature.There is no PhD holder in the top richest people.What does that tell you?Without resources, your PhD is just a piece of paper to allow you to get paid just enough for you to be broke at the end of the month.
Hanzi land that is tainted in blood, ko when your forefathers lost their land to your angels was there no blood involved.Your ancestors must be shaking their heads in shame at your words and fighting in the corner of those who subjugated them.
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For your own information i am a Chief Execurive of my own company and my PhD has already made me a US$ multi millionaire while you still get handouts from your master. If you think i will have time to work for Chinotimba you are in cackooland. I dont have time for your land, no thanks. Chimborimai tione. Knowledge is power.
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Are you aware Zim dollars are no more? In case those are the millions you are referring to.
If you dont want land dont mess it up for the rest of us who may want it.
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It shows that you do not read much of the text to comprehend it. Read again properly and you will see the US$ sign in my posting. How can i refer to your worthless Zim dollars where everyone was a billionaire, including a newly born baby ? Don’t make me laugh.
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We all want land. I want land also, the villagers want land. We differ with ZANU on the sense that some people have to be forced to eternity due to land re-distribution. Between 1980 and 1990 there was no bloodshed and that is the land reform that we support not the human blood harvesting that happened after 1999.
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that the agreement was willing seller willing buyer. when it failed ,it became compulsary. hence the name land grabe.
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What happened to land we took from 1991 to 1998?? Is that not the land Zanu PF gave each other and signed 99 year leases???
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I thought the land was just a token portion. And to say zanu gave each other might be wrong because we can all remember minda mirefu kuMt darwin neresettlement areas in marondera. If only you can prove that those pple are zanu linked then you are . but who wasnt zanu that time?
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That was between 1982 and 1990. or were yu not born by then??
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Pidigu! History has been very cruel to a blackman but tit for tat makes the world blind. It is wrong to do land reform as revenge because some of the people who were evicted from farms had used their personal money to buy the farms with the assurance of ZANU PF that their investments were safe. You can send the wrong signal, for example I may not consider building a house in Harare because policies may change such that a powerful somebody can just confiscate my house. We all know that the people were used as fronts only, the cronies are taking all the fertile land and driving away the people who settled on the farms in 2000. Why were the people told not to build permanent structures on fast track farms?
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No one was asured that farms were safe since the land redistribution was underway since 1980. I think the lancaster agreement allowed compulsary aquisition of land from white farmers only after 10yrs ie after 1990. But mugabe was nervous and gave them 10 more yrs. But in 2000 it was clear willing seller willing buyer failed. the rest you know.
this willing seller willing buyer will never work , look at SA now . They failed and are admitting it doesnt work.
Even if it was me i will refuse with my land. And i will put up a fight on who ever dares take it. hence the fight with commercial farmers is expected, the same way blacks fought when europeans took their land.
About pple used as fronts thats folk tale stories.
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Minister Mudenge is busy harrassing workers at a farm in Masvingo. The story was on this website. That is true. It is survival of the fittest, the thin ones have to pave way for the strong and powerfull. There are many stories that include even the First Lady who snatched a farm from a High Court Judge. We know these things. Pidigu a powerfull somebody is going to take away your farm, you are not safe as long as there is no rule of law.
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Never believe in heresay. People acan peddle non existent stories just to tanish. Remamber this is politics. Try now to see wether there was any relevence in that matter. Mostly if you resaerch you will find that the story and yr findings will never tally.
But if its true he did it then thats pure rubish. He shld give back that farm.
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I don’t have much problems with the land grab itself although i still believe it could have been done in a much better way. My real problem however is in the redistribution of that land. It should have been distributed fairly to blacks who should have satisfied certain criteria regarding the ability to farm on those lands and not to a few zanu pf elite.
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But when we offer you the land you refuse chief.Trying to please your handlers by refusing ‘their’ land which was stolen from them.Sweet!!!!!!
Ivhu tinogova muchigununyuna kudaro and it wont come back ever.
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Do you ever read and UNDERSTAND?
Reread what i have said and THINK before you respond!
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mukonowes**** probably did ask for land. then he was shamed into back traking. if only all the elected officials (mayors included) had that trait. in them
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“Probably” thats an assumption how can you base your facts on assumptions???
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The land imbalance hasnt changed in any significant way at all, the majority of the population are still rural folks and they live in a small proportion of the total land available. Another fair number of people have migrated to towns, realising they can no longer sustain themselves on the land, yet still another fair number have left the country altogether (talk about absent landlords). I really dont know what has been addressed by Zanu Pf land policy apart from political posturing. If they are not careful they will have another wave of farm invasions (poor black invading wealthy black’s farms or the chosen few’s farms). It will be the same thing all over again, except that only the skin colour of the participants will be different. That will record the fact that nothing was addressed by Zanu’s land policy. I agree with Mukaranga, not all of us want to earn a living from land. Just having acres of land will not bring bread on your table, Zimbabwe is realising that right now, albeit painfully. The current state of land distribution may be irreversible but who is really benefiting from it? We can make noise about the West all we want but we got the land, only to reduplicate the same ownership pattern we were condemning the white farmers for. What is the point of leaving my children a heritage that will be reversed by the politicians of the day? Mukaranga you are right, make the millions in business and leave the land circus to those who have the energy and time for it.
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