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Tendai Mugabe, Harare Bureau
Zanu-PF national commissar Cde Saviour Kasukuwere, yesterday came under fire from over 300 Goromonzi A1 farmers who accused him of double standards and outright chicanery after he reportedly parcelled out their plots in Chishawasha B for residential settlement.

The farmers yesterday staged a demonstration in Chishawasha B denouncing Cde Kasukuwere.

He is also embroiled in another nasty scandal involving rigging of Zanu-PF primary elections in Norton that resulted in the revolutionary party being defeated by Mr Temba Mliswa.

This also comes at a time when thousands of Zanu-PF youths who were allocated stands in Norton have lost the land after Government conceded that it was a private property belonging to Maparahwe Property (Pvt) Ltd.

The land in Chishawasha B was allegedly sold to Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya while part of it was dished out to Cde Kasukuwere’s side-kicks.

Cde Kasukuwere is on record as saying that all transactions relating to Chishawasha B were cancelled.

The A1 farmers yesterday said it was not only illegal for Cde Kasukuwere to allocate that land for residential stands, but also inhuman to take it because they were the rightful owners.

They produced offer letters signed by Goromonzi district administrator a Mr H Mandizvidza and district lands officer a Mr WF Bika in 2010.

The offer letters in possession of at least 315 A1 farmers, showed that they were legally allocated six hectare plots in Chishawasha B for farming purposes.

Chishawasha B falls under Goromonzi Rural District.

Cde Nhamo Jeke who is the chairwoman of Grace Mugabe district in Chishawasha B, said they believed that President Mugabe was not aware of what was happening in their area and the culprits were concealing the information .

“It is our humble appeal that the President should intervene in this matter,” she said. “We strongly believe that there are some people who are lying to him because we are not illegal occupants of this land as we are in possession of the relevant paperwork. We are receiving reports through the media that this farm was sold to (Prophet) Magaya and other people. Where does (Cde) Kasukuwere want us to go? I fail to understand the logic behind dishing out all the land towards residential stands as if people do not want to eat.

“We deliver maize every year to Grain Marketing Board depot in Msasa and we feel by that, we are making meaningful contribution towards the development of our country. Now we have joined the Government’s Command Agriculture scheme but our future is uncertain because we are always threatened with eviction.”

Another A1 farmer in the area Cde Nyasha Nyawasha, said if Prophet Magaya paid money to Cde Kasukuwere, he should find other ways of recovering it.

She said they had been paying money for land permits since they were given offer letters, but that had stopped soon after reports that the land was now earmarked for residential stands.

“We were again left out of the ongoing land audit because of those reports,” she said. “One other disturbing thing is that youths from Harare are the ones who are also expected to benefit from residential stands in this area as if we do not have youths here. What is special about the people from Harare?”

Cde Porshia Khumalo who is also a beneficiary in Chishazwasha B said: “Cde Kasukuwere is killing the party. How are we going to mobilise the youths to support Zanu-PF when everyone else is always threatened with expulsion from the party?

“We are also bona fide citizens and we feel we should be treated as equal citizens.”

Cde Nhamo Kazembe who is the Grace Mugabe district secretary for administration said: “We have been staying here for the past 16 years and we were given offer letters in 2010. Farming is our employment and if they evict us from this farm as they are threatening to do they will be pushing us into the streets. How do they expect us to fend for our families?”

The farmers said they were receiving support from their MP Cde Paddy Zhanda, but developments from Cde Kasukuwere’s office were worrying.

They said they had also knocked on several Government offices seeking assistance but to no avail.