OPPOSITION MDC Alliance leader Nelson Chamisa has chided President Emmerson Mnangagwa for allegedly aiding the seizure of communal land by Asian capitalists, resulting in mass displacement of villagers to pave way for Chinese mining projects.
Chamisa told NewsDay that the pattern of displacements in
the country was disturbing, especially the fact that government had been
backing capitalists embarking on mining and other projects.
His comments came shortly after a Chinese miner bragged
that it had authority to displace the villagers because they had no title deeds
to the land they were occupying.
Chamisa said it was even more disturbing that the same
unsettling pattern happened in Chilonga, Chiredzi in Masvingo province, the
diamond rich area of Chiadzwa, ethanol projects in Chisumbanje, and other
resource-rich areas where locals were displaced.
“It is not an isolated incident, these things which are
happening in Uzumba and Mutoko. It is a system where the ordinary people are
disregarded and thrown off their land for the benefit of the elite,” Chamisa
said.
Mutoko villagers are up in arms with government over its
decision to evict them to pave way for a Chinese miner to extract black granite
and gold.
Presidential spokesman George Charamba recently took to
social media, accusing the MDC Alliance of feigning to care about the welfare
of locals.
Chamisa dismissed Charamba’s assertions saying he was
displaying “a mercenary mind-set”.
“He has a mercenary mindset. We are a people-centred party
which believes that Zimbabwe is not for sale and should not be sold. On the
other hand, they are selling the country to their friends at the expense of our
people. They sold Chisumbanje, Uzumba, Chilonga and parts of Hwange and they do
it without shame,” Chamisa said.
A week after Chamisa dispatched a fact-finding mission to
Uzumba and Mutoko, Cabinet also dispatched Local Government minister July Moyo
to Uzumba to have an appreciation of what was happening there, although
government initially denied that villagers would be displaced. Newsday
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