By Akson Potera ADP President
Let me start by greeting Zimbabweans in general and the people of Chilonga in particular:
Minjhani vanhu va le Chilonga/Xilonga. Ni nangutela kuri Xikwembumbu xitava na nwina ka nyimpi leyi yaku tekeriwa misava yanwina hi mpfumo minga u ranga
Kurhula kuve na nwina.
Questions like the one above or heading of the story and many others should be asked and be satisfactorily answered!
As a community development activist who fights for community development and empowerment, it would be unfair lest a sin for me to keep quiet without warning the government about what is unfolding in Chilonga.
In late February 2021 l wrote an article about titled: The Smart/Modern Colonisation
In the article I said a sell-out fought an oppressor to become a smart sell out
This is what has happened and happening in Zimbabwe.
What is happening in Chilonga is very pathetic and a heart-piercing action by the government which the people including the Xilongans elected.
It seems the Zanu pf led government has lost its memory that the primary cause of war was land ie land was supposing to be taken back to its native owners.
But today it is that same government that is violently evicting people from their own communal land, the land they owned even before whites arrived.
Xilonga and Gezani areas are iconic and memorable areas as far as the liberation struggle of the 70s is concerned.
Those communal areas (land) were used as training and battle ground for guerrillas. (Mandugu or Vakomana) of that time.
So to take away that land by force for any reason, is blasphemy to all Zimbabweans and Xilonga people in particular.
I would like to warn Zimbabweans to be very vigilant that the self-enrichment business has become a number one for individuals in the government.
How can a country with vast underutilised land which was grabbed in 2000 can grab land from communal owners.
Ingwenyama Trust of KZN resisted this in 2017 -2019 when the SA government tried to repossess millions of hectares in communal ownership.
MKVA, a war vet association in SA resisted this too but I wonder why Zimbabwe war vets are not doing the same?
When Spear Capital of Scandinavia bought 27% of Dendiary Zimbabwe, there was nowhere the Xilongans were mentioned so let their land remain theirs.
Zanu pf seniors have multiple farms, why canât they just do the right thing, to sell or give one of their farms if this is genuine investment?
Zanu PF government is becoming a threat to the black owned land in Zimbabwe.
The Xilonga case is similar to that of Dinde in Hwange where the Kalangas in that areas were relocated by force to pave way for Chinese to mine there, precisely the same as what happened to 20 000 people of Tokwe between 2012 n 2014 at Tokwe, Chiredzi.
I wonder if war vets are aware of this problem and let it go as normal.
Not so long the same government wanted to compensate white farmers and now land is slowly returned to the same people who were accused as land thieves.
The question is should farmers trust this government and are they comfortably feeling safe that the land has become a soccer ball?
It is high time that both farmers and communal land owners raise their eyebrows!
The unlawful sale of communal land has become the only source of cash as Zimbabwe has no industries and mining industry is slowly vanishing starting with what happened at Chiadzwa.
I wonder why legislators keep oppressive laws which were left by Smith eg Section 10 of Communal Land Act which the government uses to steal land from its owners?
Colonialists have devised smart ways of using an irresistible honey called money hence our land is sold by senior government officials.
War veterans, wake up and sniff the coffee.
Some of your comrades lost lives for this same land that is now returned to where you took it.
The land is taken back through the use of illicit deals.
Government and war veterans must come open and tell us if they have changed the song of land to its rightful owners!
