via Families sleep in the open as ZANU PF MP evicts own supporters | SW Radio Africa by Mthulisi Mathuthu January 21, 2014
In what has been described as a ‘desperate situation’ scores of people, including women and children, have been sleeping in the open for the last two weeks after Chitungwiza South MP Christopher Chigumba evicted his own supporters.
A NewsDay report Tuesday said nine families have so far been evicted from the Zano Remba Co-operative houses and 300 more are threatened.
The report said ZANU PF supporters, who include war veterans and vendors, wailed and accused Chigumba of dishonesty as they narrated their ordeal Monday. District war veterans leader Irene Hove is said to have wept uncontrollably. The evictees also accused the police of beating them and further accused Chigumba of personalizing the project.
Former St Mary’s legislator and leading Chitungwizwa community leader, Job Sikhala, told SW Radio Africa that the situation was desperate. Sikhala said the eviction was an act of ‘evil’ saying it was typical of ZANU PF which uses people during the campaign period only to dump them soon after the election.
He urged humanitarian agencies to move in to rescue the women and children who are at the mercy of the ‘rains, mosquito and thugs.’ Sikhala said: ‘If there is a situation right now which must be publicized all over the world it is that of women and children who are sleeping in the open right in the middle of the rain season. These people were used and they believed that ZANU PF cared for them. We really need to sympathize with them.’
Chigumba, who is the patron of the co-operative, is quoted in the report claiming that the project is not a co-operative but his personal business. He also accused the members of being crooks. He is also said to be demanding $5,000 cash from the members in addition to what they contributed over the years.
According to the report contributors to the housing project produced receipts which showed that the project is indeed a co-operative operating under the name Zano Remba Housing Co-operative and that they had been making monthly payments for several years.
The co-operative was started in 2004 with the help of the then Harare provincial governor, the late Witness Mangwende. According to NewsDay Mavis Chibanda said the project is built on state land for low-income earners such as the war veterans, soldiers and vendors. Chibanda also said that Chigumba was brought in as a patron because he is a ZANU PF MP but to the member’s surprise debt collectors pitched up at the place in 2009 demanding $5,000 from each family. At the time members were also shocked to hear that the co-operative belonged to Chigumba, under his company Chigumba Holdings.
According to NewsDay, the government ordered the Chitungwiza Municipality to surrender more than 1,000 stands to Chigumba ahead of the 2005 general elections.
COMMENTS
There is a sucker born every minute, or, never give a sucker an even break. If you think you are going to get something for nothing this type of thing can happen to you
GOOD! WHAT YOU SEE IS WHAT YOU GET!
The wolf eating it’s pups. Watch this space.
This guy knows that no one voted for him he got his seat in parliament from nikuv.
There can be no sympathy for those who have reaped what they sowed, viva ne zanu you say hey, serves you right. The only ones deserving of sympathy here are the children who must now suffer for the sins of their parents.
These are the same people who beat up mdc supporters saying their area was for zanu pf only . They do not deserve any sympathy
The big wheel turns – what goes around comes around – now you know what the white farmers went through when evicted off their farms, the only difference being these farmers actually paid for their farms and invested heavily in them, they did not get them for free!
tough luck dont cry you got what you voted for.
“Ngomo zidumbu”
“Ngomo zimuNdevere”
“Pasi naNgomo”
“Pambiri naMugabe”
TIMES HAVE CHANGED NEEH?
They must learn and be soaked to the marrow! Next elections they will support decent parties. I do not have any symphathy especially for war veterans because of their thuggish behaviour. If they were soaked in rain during the war why not now? It should show them that the country is not yet free. Naiwai!
“in my anger I will punish you seven times. You will eat the flesh of your flesh, that of your sons and daughters. I will destroy your high places.”
slaap lekker comrades, slaap lekker
Ooops!!! They have always come in groups with stones, sticks and whatever to evict and rob farmers who have invested their livelihood in these farms. How come this time they can’t gang up on this Chigumba???
O how the tables have been turned upside down!!