Anti-Mahofa protests rock Chiredzi

By Mugove Tafirenyika

Zanu PF supporters in Masvingo on Monday staged protests against provincial heavyweights Shuvai Mahofa and Josiah Hungwe, who they accuse of leading invasions of land belonging to sugar producing company Tongaat Hullet.

Despite the fact that President Robert Mugabe in June this year ordered Lands minister Douglas Mombeshora, his Psychomotor counterpart Hungwe and Masvingo Provincial minister Mahofa from settling people on the company-owned land, the Zanu PF bigwigs did not oblige.

The defiance by the Zanu PF bigwigs, who are linked to Vice President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s faction, consequently triggered protests in Chiredzi, as fed up party supporters, who are also employed by the giant sugar producer, took matters into their hands.

The party’s Masvingo provincial chairperson Amasa Nenjana told the Daily News yesterday that his executive had failed to help the party supporters in Chiredzi who are being prejudiced by the land grabs because “some of our colleagues are involved”.

“On Monday, Zanu PF supporters who are employed by the company and others who are not, demonstrated against party provincial officials who are taking up land that belongs to Tongaat against a directive by the president not to do so,” Nenjana said.

“They argue that the company that is giving them a living by way of employment is being ill treated against the wish of the president, so they want the party leaders to respect the head of State.

“I was supposed to have joined them but there was a problem where the police had initially declined to clear the protest and I decided not to go. But then, they reversed their decision and cleared it so the protest went ahead as planned.

“The problem is that our colleagues in the provincial executive are involved in the scandal and now the people are taking it upon themselves after realising that we as leadership are not helping them because our hands are also tied.

“I personally, think that we must all respect what the president said if we are going to retain the respect of those we lead”.

Nenjana said he was also worried at an individual level that Zanu PF leaders were not heeding Mugabe’s call.

Contacted for comment on the protests, Mahofa pretended to be in the dark, even denying having attended the meeting that Mugabe chaired at State House.

“I am not aware of what you are talking about, I don’t even know the meeting with the president you are referring to,” Mahofa said curtly.

This was a dramatic U-turn for Mahofa who told the Daily News in June after Masvingo province met with Mugabe at State House, that she was never attacked. Daily News