MDC Matabeleland South Province press statement on the Maleme Ranch debacle

The MDC Matabeleland South Province, condemns in the strongest terms the senseless gazzetting and allocation of Maleme farmland in Matopo to Central Intelligence operative, Roderick Mashingaidze at the expense of hundreds of locals whose livelihoods depends on the the utilization of Maleme farm land.

We understand it to be government policy that the foundation of land reform is the empowerment of indigenous local communities. It thus makes no sense that land which is fully being utilized by local indigenous communities is acquired by the State and then allocated to an individual, who is not even a local but hails from another far off corner of the country, against the interests and wishes of the entirety of the locals, including their traditional leaders, all of whom are already benefiting from the land.

The deliberate bulldozing of Mashingaidze to take over the farm by the Zanu PF government shows a shocking disregard for the welfare, collective interests and needs of the local people and is therefore wholly unacceptable. In this regard the MDC stands solidly behind the people of Maleme in their fight for justice. So many families' livelihoods cannot be sacrificed for the benefit of one individual. The settler mentality driving this rather bizarre action of government is hardly distinguishable from the sort of force driven occupation which underlay colonial dispossessions and occupation of the ancestral lands of indigenous Zimbabweans.

We are witnessing in full swing the sowing of seeds of violent future conflicts. It is obvious that those who take over land from locals in the manner happening in Maleme will not have a single peaceful sleep at night in much the same way that colonial settlers never had peaceful sleep never knowing when the people would strike at them. Not even the deployment of massive police force in support of this occupation will guarantee Mashingaidze a single peaceful night of sleep.

Meanwhile we await Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko's intervention in the matter as he promised, which must begin with an assurance that the government will not allow this madness to go on a day longer. He must also give a very good explanation of why he failed to turn up for the meeting on Sunday 8th February which he personally convened and guaranteed would bring a solution to the feud.

We condemn the use of state machinery like the police and central intelligence officers by Zanu PF to instill fear in the people of Maleme in order to achieve its clandestine agenda. We therefore call for an immediate withdrawal of all police officers, intelligence officers and Zanu PF militia deployed in the area and masquerading as Mashingaidze's security personnel so that people of Maleme can get back a semblance of normalcy.

Issued by the MDC Matabeleland South information and publicity office.