Chiefs want conservancy seizure reversed
03/09/2012 00:00:00
by Staff Reporter
CHIREDZI chiefs have demanded that the government reverse the controversial
indigenisation of Save Valley Conservancy which has sparked public clashes
between cabinet ministers and drawn threats of aid cuts by the European
Union.
Environment minister Francis Nhema recently directed that owners of the
prized 3,400 square-kilometre wildlife reserve in the south-east Lowveld
region take on some 25 individuals, most of them senior Zanu PF officials,
as partners in order to comply with the country’s indigenisation policies.
The beneficiaries include higher education minister Stan Mudenge, Masvingo
governor Titus Maluleke, senator Josiah Hungwe, MPs Ronald Ndava, Alois
Baloyi, Abraham Sithole and former legislator Shuvai Mahofa.
But the decision appeared to cause divisions in the cabinet with Tourism
minister, Walter Mzembi, accusing his party and cabinet colleague of
promoting greed by “empowering people who are already empowered severally in
other sectors, such as farming, ranching, sugar cane farming, mining”.
And on Monday, traditional leaders from the area, Chief Gudo, Chief Tshovani
and Chief Sengwe, called on the government to reverse the decision, accusing
Nhema of empowering a few individuals at the expense of their communities.
“The adopted programme, which sadly prioritises a few individuals is against
the concept of broad-based economic empowerment of communities,” the chiefs
told reporters at a press conference in Harare.
“It has allocated vast resources in Chiredzi to a few individuals. The
option that the governor and his clique have adopted, under which they
partner the sitting tenants, has caused a lot of destruction to the
wildlife.
“The option we had proposed would, instead, see the owners teaming up with
local communities who would own 51 percent of the project in line with the
country’s indigenisation programme.”
The conservancy’s owners deny allegations that the project is controlled by
foreigners and warn that Nhema’s decision could lead to its complete
collapse.
“Two-thirds of the stakeholders of the conservancy are black,” Wilfried
Pabst, a German businessman who is vice-chair of the conservancy said
recently.
“(The park) is a working example of how something really special can be a
success, by including all sectors of the community, especially the rural
poor who have previously got nothing out of wildlife.”
Still, the new partners have since vowed to stay put and dismissed claims
their involvement would threaten wildlife and leave thousands of jobs at
risk.
“What we are trying to do is correct the historic imbalances caused by
colonialism and opening up opportunities for blacks in Zimbabwe,” said
Baloyi.
“We are the rightful players in the Save Valley Conservancy because we have
the leases and the other guys do not have anything.”