Opinion / Columnist
Simba Makoni in Padeswood farm plots scandal
08 Aug 2019 at 22:44hrs | Views
Headlands Community turns to media for support in resolving Padeswood farm plots scandal (water and pasture crisis).
We have a terrible situation in Headlands, Padeswood plots Makoni Rural Council has given a local firm rights to harvest gum trees in the area we have no problem with that but now the same firm has planted thousands of gum tress in the river bank destroying our river now we face acute water shortage we can't even practise agriculture anymore our livestock as well faces uncertain future no water for drinking.
The little that has remained Simba Makoni is busy harnessing it for personal use in growing tobacco and wheat leaving us with nothing but dry land of what was once a community dam. Efforts to get EMA involved failed why we don't know it seems they have turned a deaf ear and blind eye to our problem.
ZINWA has insisted Simba Makoni has water rights but what kind of water rights are these when someone leaves the dam with nothing but mud. The only river that used to provide water for us is no more due to illegal afforestation exercise.
Our only hope now lies in the media to get this to people who can help us save our dams and pastures from Makoni Rural Council. Even our pastures have been destroyed by this aforestation exercise the community has no grazing land now.
The gum plantations are now on our grazing land we don't know if being poor is the price for this. May Government intervene and save us
One villager had these to say ,"Simba Makoni akaisa mapipie ake nemuminda medu munhu kucherera mapipe asina kana kutaura nesu pedzezvo otitorera mvura yedu hino torima nei ana aoende kuchikoro nei kana mombe dzedu dzomwei anhu hwe dai hurumende yatibatsirawo apa kunobva mvura yedu sve kwakadyarwa magamu nemurwizi nemurwizi hameno kuti ema hayizvioniwo here izvi ayimbowa mafuro emombe dzedu kanzuru yakatora kwakupa anhu akadyara magamu bani rose here akomana hino torarama neiko..."
----------Big Ray - headlandszim@gmail.com
We have a terrible situation in Headlands, Padeswood plots Makoni Rural Council has given a local firm rights to harvest gum trees in the area we have no problem with that but now the same firm has planted thousands of gum tress in the river bank destroying our river now we face acute water shortage we can't even practise agriculture anymore our livestock as well faces uncertain future no water for drinking.
The little that has remained Simba Makoni is busy harnessing it for personal use in growing tobacco and wheat leaving us with nothing but dry land of what was once a community dam. Efforts to get EMA involved failed why we don't know it seems they have turned a deaf ear and blind eye to our problem.
ZINWA has insisted Simba Makoni has water rights but what kind of water rights are these when someone leaves the dam with nothing but mud. The only river that used to provide water for us is no more due to illegal afforestation exercise.
Our only hope now lies in the media to get this to people who can help us save our dams and pastures from Makoni Rural Council. Even our pastures have been destroyed by this aforestation exercise the community has no grazing land now.
The gum plantations are now on our grazing land we don't know if being poor is the price for this. May Government intervene and save us
One villager had these to say ,"Simba Makoni akaisa mapipie ake nemuminda medu munhu kucherera mapipe asina kana kutaura nesu pedzezvo otitorera mvura yedu hino torima nei ana aoende kuchikoro nei kana mombe dzedu dzomwei anhu hwe dai hurumende yatibatsirawo apa kunobva mvura yedu sve kwakadyarwa magamu nemurwizi nemurwizi hameno kuti ema hayizvioniwo here izvi ayimbowa mafuro emombe dzedu kanzuru yakatora kwakupa anhu akadyara magamu bani rose here akomana hino torarama neiko..."
----------Big Ray - headlandszim@gmail.com
Source - Big Ray
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