Mugabe tours Gono’s chicken farm

NORTON – President Robert Mugabe on Thursday toured former Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe Governor Dr Gideon Gono’s chicken-rearing business at New Donnington Farm in Norton.

The 90 year old Zanu PF leader commended Gono for the massive project underway at his, farm and narrated how he started a similar — but much smaller — project at his rural home in Zvimba a few years ago.

“I started doing some chickens at home and I thought I was doing quite a big project, some 3 000-4 000 (birds),” he said.

But President Mugabe said Dr Gono’s project dwarfed his with the former central bank boss planning to grow it even larger. Dr Gono produces both birds and eggs and the business seeks to cater for both local and foreign markets, thus netting the country hard currency.

He is also a cattle rancher of note.

Zimbabwe imported chickens from South Africa at the height of economic collapse as local producers failed to meet demand. The cheap imports were condemned by local poultry producers as they suffocated indigenous farmers who benefited under the Government’s land reform programme.

Last year two suspicious fires within two months at the farm raised suspicion that Gono was being targeted due to fierce factional fighting within Zanu PF. Workers at the farm described the fire as having a yellow to a strong blue coloration at base level alleging that it was clearly not a normal fire.

In January this year it was reported that Gono was allegedly failing to pay workers at the many companies he owns and that his business empire was struggling to keep afloat. Employees said they had not been paid, with some saying they were owed money dating back to more than a year ago.