News / National
Chinotimba award must be revoked
09 Jan 2015 at 12:17hrs | Views
Human rights defenders have demanded that Zimrights immediately withdraw the so-called "Human Rights People's Choice" award controversially conferred on Buhera South Zanu-PF legislator Joseph Chinotimba last year.
The calls come after the boisterous politician invaded a farm in Chipinge this week.
Internationally-acclaimed human rights defender, Wellington Chibebe, said Zimrights erred in awarding a "serial human rights abuser" an award.
Chinotimba and his son Edwin seized the 300-hectare macadamia-producing farm owned by former mining executive Collen Gura this week.
Gura acquired the farm in 2005 from Vince Cugnet.
It currently has 60 hectares under macadamia nuts, 10 hectares under avocado pears and also has a 100-hectare nursery with over 31 000 plants.
Onai Sithole, the acting Chipinge district lands officer, ordered Gura to vacate the farm within 45 days in a December 11, 2014 letter to make way for Chinotimba.
Chibebe, the Brussels-based secretary-general of the global workers body ITUC said: "It is disheartening to learn that Chinotimba and his son Edwin are said to be behind the grabbing of a farm in Chipinge, barely a month after the well-known serial human rights abuser was crowned the Human Rights People's Choice.
"Zimrights should re-think and possibly strip him of the award, unless our usually principled colleagues at Zimrights are now in the process of endearing themselves with politicians for political mileage."
Gideon Shoko, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions deputy secretary-general, said he has since approached Zimrights executive director Okay Machisa urging him to withdraw the award to Chinotimba. He said the self-styled commander of farm invasions was a habitual human rights violator.
"We have told Cde Machisa that you cannot change a leopard's habits by feeding it with sadza," Shoko said.
"Now your people's choice' human rights defender of the year is not only acting otherwise, but celebrating the grabbing of a farm owned by a black man because he did not go to war. Is this defending human rights?"
Machisa said his organisation did not condone human rights abuse by anyone, even award winners.
"As an organisation, we do not condone any form of human rights abuse by anyone even award or Nobel Peace prize winners," Machisa said.
"To us, this has come as a lesson and we will be able to work on ways to come up with criteria that does not allow such people to be awarded in future. We issued a statement last year acknowledging the concerns by people over awarding people with a past that is not clean."
He did not elaborate if his organisation will revoke the award to Chinotimba.
Arnold Batirai, programmes officer of Young Zimbabweans for Socio-Economic Freedom said Zimrights should not only condemn Chinotimba's actions, but withdraw their award.
The calls come after the boisterous politician invaded a farm in Chipinge this week.
Internationally-acclaimed human rights defender, Wellington Chibebe, said Zimrights erred in awarding a "serial human rights abuser" an award.
Chinotimba and his son Edwin seized the 300-hectare macadamia-producing farm owned by former mining executive Collen Gura this week.
Gura acquired the farm in 2005 from Vince Cugnet.
It currently has 60 hectares under macadamia nuts, 10 hectares under avocado pears and also has a 100-hectare nursery with over 31 000 plants.
Onai Sithole, the acting Chipinge district lands officer, ordered Gura to vacate the farm within 45 days in a December 11, 2014 letter to make way for Chinotimba.
Chibebe, the Brussels-based secretary-general of the global workers body ITUC said: "It is disheartening to learn that Chinotimba and his son Edwin are said to be behind the grabbing of a farm in Chipinge, barely a month after the well-known serial human rights abuser was crowned the Human Rights People's Choice.
Gideon Shoko, the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions deputy secretary-general, said he has since approached Zimrights executive director Okay Machisa urging him to withdraw the award to Chinotimba. He said the self-styled commander of farm invasions was a habitual human rights violator.
"We have told Cde Machisa that you cannot change a leopard's habits by feeding it with sadza," Shoko said.
"Now your people's choice' human rights defender of the year is not only acting otherwise, but celebrating the grabbing of a farm owned by a black man because he did not go to war. Is this defending human rights?"
Machisa said his organisation did not condone human rights abuse by anyone, even award winners.
"As an organisation, we do not condone any form of human rights abuse by anyone even award or Nobel Peace prize winners," Machisa said.
"To us, this has come as a lesson and we will be able to work on ways to come up with criteria that does not allow such people to be awarded in future. We issued a statement last year acknowledging the concerns by people over awarding people with a past that is not clean."
He did not elaborate if his organisation will revoke the award to Chinotimba.
Arnold Batirai, programmes officer of Young Zimbabweans for Socio-Economic Freedom said Zimrights should not only condemn Chinotimba's actions, but withdraw their award.
Source - dailynews
