Maleme Issue: Open letter to Hon. VP Phelekezela Mphoko

Honourable Vice President Phelekezela Mphoko, firstly allow me to congratulate you on your election and elevation to the position of Vice President of Zimbabwe and also to be in charge of one of the most sensitive and very important government tasks, that of healing and reconciliation.

Baba Mphoko, allow me a simple and ordinary citizen of Matabeleland South to address you regarding the Maleme Ranch issue in Matobo District.
Let me explain to you sir that my interests in the Maleme issue are due to a number of reasons that are very dear and passionate to my being.
Firstly, to me Maleme Ranch is a place of spiritual growth and development through the Shalom Campsite. During my days of school, Honourable, attending the Scripture Union camps at Shalom was more esteemed than Christmas clothes to some of us young Christians of that time. We would go there sir and come back fired up spiritually and believe you me, the entire holiday; my parents will deal with less of mischief from me and my friends who were graduates of the camp.

I believe am speaking not only of myself only but also of hundreds of thousands of students and scripture union members that attended Shalom Camps. Some of them are now Bishops, pastors and evangelists leading big congregations in this country.
So you see VP, Shalom is a place of spiritual significance as well as a crime reduction centre in Zimbabwe.

Secondly my Vice President, myself being born in Gwanda (Matabeleland South) I have seen the lives of some of my comrades from Gwanda District being transformed by the Ebenezer Agriculture College in Maleme Ranch, thus creating employment for my kinsman. I have also witnessed my Matobo neighbours being equipped and transformed by this ranch and have wished for God's blessing to pick a bag of money and replicate the concept in every District of the dry Matabeleland South Province.
I have seen people from other provinces being trained at Ebenezer, including people of Shona origin and roots – you see that's part of unity, reconciliation and healing to embrace each other despite tribe.

Thirdly, Hon. Mphoko, as a development worker, I have never seen anywhere in our sovereign and independent Zimbabwe where there is an initiative that benefits ordinary, simple villagers so much as the Maleme Ranch. You will agree with me that even the government, which you are Vice President of does not have the capacity and capability to give a simple ordinary 63 year old woman usd1, 000 every six weeks just for breeding chickens. My calculations sir are that within the vicinity of Maleme ranch, there is a circulation of over USD88, 000 dollars every six weeks and this money is being earned by ordinary villagers that government is giving pension benefits of USD50 per month.

In all your travelling as a freedom fighter, as an Ambassador, as a prolific businessman and as Vice President of the Democratic Republic of Zimbabwe, where have you met such kind of empowerment my Honourable Vice President?

Lastly as a former teacher, my Vice President, it pains me to watch in dismay as one crushes the lives of over 250 students because of just wanting to own a piece of land.
My Vice President, according to a survey conducted by Education First Campaign, there are over 250 students currently going to school and being supported by the activities of Maleme Ranch. Some of these innocent children are dependants of chicken out-growers projects as well as dependants of the farm workers. Just imagine what will happen to these children once the farm is taken and given to this one individual who is coveting it. Surely common sense can predict that this will decrease their chances of accessing education as their parents and guardians cannot pay for their education. And what happens next? We increase the number of illegal border jumpers, illegal gold panners, prostitutes and thieves, and it will also magnify a myth by some of our age mates from Harare that we don't like to learn.

Way Forward
My Vice President, my brother in Christ, husband to the beautiful Luaurinda and father to Sikhumbuzo, Siduduzo and Siqokoqela; I urge you to exercise wisdom on this case and save the livelihoods, future and prospects of the people of Matobo and Matabeleland South.
I urge you to intervene and help shape the future of more than 250 innocent school children who risk dropping out of school before year end due to the Maleme Ranch takeover.
I ask you to exercise your power to safeguard the lives and welfare of over 80 communal chicken out-growers who risk losing livelihoods once the farm is taken away. By the way some of them are widows whose husbands died of Gukurahundi and ESAP and some are pensioners and war veterans which our dear beloved sovereign government have only been able to pay a paltry USD50 a month.

I also urge you Vice President in the spirit of national unity and reconciliation to intervene and stop this government employee from being given this farm in a move that will worsen the already volatile tribal tensions in Zimbabwe. Remember there is the Gukurahundi scourge that has not been addressed. This new development will be seen by many people of Matabeleland including myself and your grandchildren one day as a mere tribal provocation that was part of furthering the Gukurahundi atrocities.

It is also my honest appeal to you Vice President that you look at the tangible practical developments that Maleme Ranch have brought to the Matobo community and you will see that indeed this is ZIMASSET at its best. If you also get the appraisal of the development Maleme Ranch have done in the area, you will agree with me that some of the authorities in government offices are truly against ZIMASSET because this is a model worthy emulating indeed.
As an agriculturalist yourself with extensive training in cropping and animal husbandry, I am sure what you will see in Maleme Ranch will tempt you to remove the VP jacket and put on your farming overalls.

Finally my Vice President, may you please tell these government people responsible for land allocation to look for land somewhere in Zimbabwe and give it to this gentleman and stop harassing the people of Matobo.

Oh, by the way, I nearly forgot, thank you for committing to meeting the people of Matobo on the 8th of March over this issue. This is very appluadable and it gives our people some form of confidence in their government. We hope the people of Matobo especially in ward 16 will have that rare opportunity to see all their leaders and government workers on that day. Phela since January when this issue gathered momentum the chiefs and the ward 17 Councillor have been the only notable Matobo leaders attending these meetings. Other Councillors, Members of Parliament and Senators from all the parties have been as extinct as the Dinosaur.

Let me hasten to say Vice President that I don't want this ranch saved because of the pity of the investment put in by the white skinned Cunningham family. Neither due to the fact that the person taking it is of a different tribe to mine, but it should be returned to Cunningham and the Matobo villagers as a matter of principle of good governance, development and human rights.

Ps: Please Vice President when you visit and you drive to Maleme Ranch tell your driver to drive careful on that dust road because the way the Cunningham's upgraded it, that day I found myself cruising at about 100km per hour there because the road is better than most of our highways in the country.

Don't also forget when you drive from Nathisa shopping centre to Maleme ranch to stop by a few homesteads and see the chicken out-growers projects being done by the communal farmers. And also don't forget to check what the other farmers who took 1, 600 hectares of Maleme Ranch in 2003 are doing in the large piece of land they were given.

Yours Sincerely
Khumbulani Maphosa
(Khumbulani Maphosa is a Christian development worker, an evangelist and author based in Bulawayo. He can be contacted on: maphosakhumbulani@gmail.com)