#PROVINCIAL OUTLOOK
MASH
EAST
“YOU MUST
BURN ANY
UNIDENTIFIED
VEHICLE THAT
ATTEMPTS TO
DRIVE INTO
MUREHWA
NORTH
WARD 10”
ZANU PF
CHAIRPERSON
TAKESURE
KASHESHA
The month of April marked the immediate post-election
period and in Mashonaland East, there was widespread
targeting of CCC members and any citizens wearing the CCC
brand colour, yellow.
In one of the incidents, which happened on 23 April, Zanu
PF supporters convened a meeting at Duku Business Centre
in Murehwa North and the party’s Chairperson Takesure
Kashesha allegedly told Zanu PF supporters that he was not
happy with CCC activities that were being done in the Ward.
He ordered youths to mount road blocks to ensure that CCC
vehicles do not entre Ward 10. “Mota ichapinda muno
yatisingazivi tichaipisa (You must burn any unidentified
vehicle that attempts to drive into Ward 10).
In another incident, at Chitate Primary School Ward 8 in
Murehwa North, a Zanu PF Councillor Masimba Gumira
gathered villagers to celebrate his victory in the 26 March
by-elections. During the celebrations Gumira told villagers to
desist from wearing yellow clothes. “Watichaona akapfeka
hembe dzeyellow tichamuita kafira mberi (We will beat to
death anyone we see wearing yellow)”.
At Mug Farm in Macheke on 4 April, Zanu PF activist Ricky
Chiwara went around threatening those who had
participated in the March by-election as observers. He
accused the observers of pushing a regime change agenda.
In addition to the targeting of CCC supporters, the Chinese
have continued to encroach into a significant number of
communities in Mutoko.
A number of families, whose lives are hinged on agriculture,
are at risk of losing their land as village heads are parcelling
out land to Chinese Black Granite Companies.
In one of the cases, at Gwenambira Village in Ward 10 of
Mutoko North, one Loveness Mungate had her farming land
pegged by the Chinese owned mining company. The Village
head, one Gwenambira reportedly received USD 20 from the
Chinese company, leading him to parcel out part of
Mungate’s farming land.
ZPP has continued to advocate against the seizure of land
for the use of mining activities.
This not only takes away the villagers’ access to their land,
but it also impacts negatively on the environment. The
situation is made worse by the fact that the foreign owned
mining companies do nothing to recoup their huge export
earnings back to the land where the granite is extracted.
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