Opinion / Letters
Open Letter to Minister of Agriculture Honourable Perence Shiri
07 Apr 2018 at 11:50hrs | Views
REF: Grievances over unpaid gain by Grain Marking Board (GMB) for last season
Honourable Minister I am a poor farmer in Mashonaland Central province doing my farming in Centenary where I sell my produce at GMB Centenary branch.
I write this with so much pain honourable having tried to get my money from five receipts amounting to $3050 maize grain which has not been paid between the periods of 17 September to 8 November 2017.
It is very sad to tell you that I have been frustrated and have failed to return in the field because I do not have capital as GMB still holds my money tossing me from one office to another because I used EcoCash.
Had I known that using EcoCash would give me so much stress I would have opened an account.
I engaged Centenary branch manager Fungai Mpeswe who delayed me for months before referring me to Dura House where I was directed to accounts department and met Farai Musiiwa.
Musiiwa told me that they deposited the money to Steward Bank Harare on my EcoCash number 0772737512 but since last year to date I have not got a single cent.
Having tried all these avenues to no avail I called you honourable on your netone line and you said I should go back to Dura but there is nothing going on.
I believe I am not the only farmer being deprived of my hard owned cash in many remote areas, the expenses I am meeting in trying to get my money are now too much for me.
Surely we can say Zimbabwe is open for business to the international word, but how can it be open for business to foreigners yet not open to me a poor farmer.
United we stand Divided we fall, comrades.
Your troubled farmer
Macdonald Sithole
Honourable Minister I am a poor farmer in Mashonaland Central province doing my farming in Centenary where I sell my produce at GMB Centenary branch.
I write this with so much pain honourable having tried to get my money from five receipts amounting to $3050 maize grain which has not been paid between the periods of 17 September to 8 November 2017.
It is very sad to tell you that I have been frustrated and have failed to return in the field because I do not have capital as GMB still holds my money tossing me from one office to another because I used EcoCash.
Had I known that using EcoCash would give me so much stress I would have opened an account.
I engaged Centenary branch manager Fungai Mpeswe who delayed me for months before referring me to Dura House where I was directed to accounts department and met Farai Musiiwa.
Having tried all these avenues to no avail I called you honourable on your netone line and you said I should go back to Dura but there is nothing going on.
I believe I am not the only farmer being deprived of my hard owned cash in many remote areas, the expenses I am meeting in trying to get my money are now too much for me.
Surely we can say Zimbabwe is open for business to the international word, but how can it be open for business to foreigners yet not open to me a poor farmer.
United we stand Divided we fall, comrades.
Your troubled farmer
Macdonald Sithole
Source - Macdonald Sithole
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
