Chiredzi-West MP Hon Farai Musikavanhu has extended the boundary of his constituency by defending government interests in the lucerne project which will lead to the eviction of around 12 000 families from Chilonga, during the parliament session last week causing mayhem in the already heated debate.
By Costain Shamu
In a video that has gone viral, the legislator is agreeing to the words of the Minister of State and Provincial affairs and Devolution, Hon Ezra Chadzamira and explaining the last section of the clause 3 of statutory instrument 50 of 2021.
“Consultations were done and we agreed as the political leadership. However, clause 3 should be read and understood carefully. Those people by virtue of being communal people, they are defacto covered in the process of benefitting from the lucerne project.” said Musikavanhu.
Amusingly, this publication came across an interestingly shocking tweet, from the permanent secretary of Information Nick Mangwana, who unknowingly or mistakenly fed the majority with wrong information claiming that Musikavanhu is the legislator for Chilonga people while attaching the parliamentary video.
“The people of Chiredzi West (where Chilonga is located) elected a representative to promote and protect their interests. Their legislator is Hon Farai Musikavanhu who in this clip weighs in to give his support to the lucerne project which he says is good for his community.” read the Tweet from Mangwana @nickmangwana.
However, he later learnt about his grievous mistake and apologised but comments pointing to factional politics and fraudulent accusations had already exploded everywhere on internet.
Former ZANU PF Minister, Walter Mzembi, suggested this to be the manifestation of factional politics as the honorable MP is supporting the evictions of voters for his rivals.
“….. strange that being from a different constituency, he supports the eviction of voters for his rivals Gwanetsa and Masiya. Factional politics is at play.” said Mzembi @waltermzembi via the same twitter thread.
Award winning journalist, Hopewell Chin’ono flipped the picture of the lucerne project upside down after highlighting a network of diamond belts believed to be underlying in the identified land.
“A former executive at the diamond mining giant @DeBeers told me that the area has more diamonds than the ones found in Marange.” read the tweet from Chin’ono @daddyhope.
However, it is also worrisome that the statutory instrument 50 of 2021 clause 3 points to the Mines and Minerals Act (chapter 21:05) and one starts wondering if the proposed lucerne project is still agriculturally based.
Clause 3 of SI 50 of 2021 reads,
“3. Any person occupying or using the land specified in the schedule, otherwise than by virtue of a right held in terms of mines and minerals act (chapter 21:05), is ordered to depart permanently with all of his or her property from the said land by the date of publication of this notice unless he or she acquires rights of use or occupation to the said land in terms of section (9)(1) of the Communal Land Act (chapter 20:04).”
The area covered by this statutory declaration is approximately 12 940ha in extent, as shown by the black line on plan M.O.E. XXXX, a document that can be inspected at the District Adminstration offices in Chiredzi at a free charge.
Statutory instrument 50 of 2021 was gazetted on 26 February 2021 and since then, the issue has sparked all sorts of comments.
