Sekeramayi denies soldiers burnt down Chingwizi tents

Defence Minister Sydney Sekeramayi has dismissed reports that Zimbabwe National Army officers went on a rampage at the Chingwizi Transit Camp two weeks ago and burnt down tents housing displaced Tokwe Mukosi flood victims.

Thousands of villagers are now living in the bush after they deserted the Chingwizi holding camp following violent clashes with the soldiers. The army appeared to retaliating after angry villagers had burnt down two police vehicles.

“What the army and the Air Force did was to assist in uplifting marooned villagers to Chingwizi. After that operation, the army has played no role at all. There is no truth at all that the army is involved in the burning of shelter at Chingwizi. That is not true,” Sekeremayi said in an interview.

“The Tokwe-Mukosi disaster was another testimony of the ZDF’s commitment to assisting the people of Zimbabwe during unfortunate situations such as disasters,” he said.

Armed police visited the camp two weeks ago in an unsuccessful attempt to get the displaced families to accept relocation without compensation to one-hectare plots, where they have been told they must grow sugar cane or lose food aid.

The relocation was vigorously resisted.

The protest saw the Chingwizi holding camp dwellers, mainly women and children, overpowering anti-riot police officers, disarming them and setting alight their two vehicles, forcing government to rope in the army  from Masvingo’s 4 Brigade. The soldiers ransacked the camp and assaulted villagers.

The majority of the 3 500 Chingwizi families have been resisting relocation to permanent plots demanding that Government compensate them.

The villagers also denounced Government plans to allocate them one-hectare plots instead of the four hectares they were initially promised.

Police arrested 30 villagers and charged them with public violence. They appeared in court last Friday where they were granted US$30 bail each.