Mutasa denied chiefs land

Former Presidential Affairs minister and disgraced former Zanu-PF secretary for administration, Didymus Mutasa wanted to be a traditional leader in Manicaland and sought to become head of the chief's council, it has been revealed.

President of the Chiefs' Council, Fortune Charumbira told a gathering of traditional leaders in Marondera that Mutasa, despite holding several posts in both Zanu-PF party and government, had been the stumbling block to the quest by traditional leaders in the country to own land. Traditional leaders from Mashonaland East had gathered in the provincial capital to be allocated pieces of land.

"The issue of denying traditional leaders land has been on the table for a very long time. There are people who came before both of you, (Biggie Matiza Provincial Affairs minister and Douglas Mombeshora, Lands minister) and refused to give land to chiefs. What has happened here is just too good to believe. Sometimes I think I am dreaming," said Charumbira.

"VaMutasa had all the power as Lands minister and also in charge of State Security, but with all that power he could not help chiefs.

"As a matter of fact Mutasa indicated to me that he wanted to be a traditional leader in Makoni, and also the president of the chief's council. I asked him why he wanted all this power. He was a Cabinet minister with two portfolios as well as lawmaker but still wanted more (sic)".

Charumbira paid tribute to Matiza for his pro-active approach to resolving the chaos bedevilling the land issue in Mashonaland East as well as realising the importance of traditional leaders.

"You have become a torch bearer in the whole country and I think what is left now is for the president (Robert

Mugabe) to make a decree that all provincial ministers must copy your example by June 30, failure of which they stand fired," he said.

Matiza, in his opening remarks, acknowledged the chaos and corruption in the province, with regards to the land issue, and promised an audit by end of February.

"We have invited all traditional leaders in the province to honour them by returning land to the ancestors. Our tradition demands "kusuma kuvaridzi vevhu" and this is what we are doing today. The Land Reform Programme sprang from Mashonaland East but our chiefs had been reduced to by-standers as land redistribution evaded them. Instead, in this province we have been protecting people who yesteryear were our erstwhile oppressors," Matiza said.

"Today our chiefs assume ownership of land. This event will give a fresh outlook and perception in the way the land reform and redistribution is to be conducted in the province.

"The province has over 20 000 people on the waiting list for land and today marks the beginning of the fulfillment of a systematic distribution of land that will be methodical and set to encompass all groups across the board."

Charumbira said denying chiefs land was akin to denying them their role and right in society.

"The denial of land to traditional leaders is akin to stripping them of the very essence that define their royal status in society and traditional leadership. Matiza has in less than a month after his appointment to the province corrected a 34-year-old wrong perpetuated by our own people in authority," said Charumbira.

Mombeshora acknowledged that while government had been the power behind the chaos that rocked the country's agricultural sector at the turn of the century, it was necessary. He said no "white person  should ever own land in Zimbabwe".

"That is why we called it jambanja (chaos), it was necessary because we needed to correct a colonial wrong. White farmers had developed clever ways of circumventing the willing-buyer-willing-seller model of land reform. They had formed companies that changed ownership along with the land while we waited for change of title at the deeds office," said Mombeshora, adding in the ensuing chaos traditional leaders had been sidelined.

Mutasa was axed from government in the aftermath of the Zanu-PF 6th congress held last December at which he lost his lofty position as party secretary for administration. He was, along with now former Vice-President Joice Mujuru, axed Labour minister Nicholas Goche and deposed ruling party information boss Rugare Gumbo, accused of hatching a sinister plot to assassinate President Robert Mugabe with assistance from Western powers as well as seeking to hire Israeli hit-men for the hatchet job.

A total of 19 out of the 33 traditional leaders in Mashonaland East Province, including a lady chief Ottilia Chimukoko from Mutoko, will receive land.

They had reportedly for years been denied access to land by successive Agriculture and Lands ministers. Matiza, just days after assuming office as Provincial Affairs minister, promised to clean up the land chaos and corruption in the province. He was highly praised for living up to his  word yesterday.