I did not lead the invaders – Chadenga
By Thelma Chikwanha
Monday, 31 January 2011 16:53
HARARE – The Director of National Parks and Wildlife, Vitalis Chadenga has
denied any involvement in the recent invasion of Kuimba Shiri
birdsanctuary.
Last week, Daily News reported that Chadenga was leading war veterans who
invaded the tourist resort after he had addressed them.
“I was not leading the invaders. I was actually there in my capacity as the
director of National Parks and Wildlife,” Chadenga said.
Chadenga, who used a Zanu PF slogan before addressing the invaders said
that he had actually gone there to rescue the tour operators because no
body had the right to hold them at ransom.
“If I had not used the Zanu PF slogan, the invaders would not have listened
to me,” Chadenga said.
Zanu PF supporters last week launched fresh invasions of tour operators in
the Lake Chivero area which prompted an apology from vice president Joice
Mujuru.
President Mugabe’s nephew, Patrick Zhuwao is linked to the invaders and he
has been reported saying the invasions of the lake side resorts are not
over.
There have been reports that Stan Mudenge, a senior Zanu PFmember recently
encouraged the invasion of a conservancy in Masvingo to make way for a
Chinese farmer who intends to grow cotton on the land.
Meanwhile, Patrick Zhuwao, President Mugabe’s nephew has defied vice
president Joice Mujuru’s call to desist from invading tourist resorts around
the lake Chivero area.
Zhuwao who is the Member of Parliament for Zvimba has stated that he is
interested in bird sanctuary Kuimba Shiri.
He told the Standard weekly that the people of his constituency would
re-invade the tourist resorts after organising themselves. He vowed to
tackle the racists operating in his area.
The invasions of tour operators around the Lake Chivero area were a well
orchestrated plan by war veterans from Sally Mugabe district.
Their intention was to take over the tourism facilities and hand them over
to senior Zanu PF officials.
On January 6, the war veterans wrote to the minister of land and rural
resettlement Herbert Murerwa informing him of their plans to invade the
tourist resorts which was copied to National Parks and Wildlife and Patrick
Zhuwao.
Mujuru last week apologised to the tour operators saying Zanu PF was not
aware of the invasions. Local Government Urban and Rural Development
Minister Ignatius Chombo who is also Zanu PF secretary for lands and rural
settlement dismissed the invaders as common criminals.
Zanu PF spokesperson Rugare Gumbo said he could not comment on Zhuwao’s
defiance since he did not know anything about statements from both Mujuru
and Zhuawo.
“I really can’t comment about Mai Mujuru’s statement because I only read it
in the papers. You call them invasions but I don’t know anything about it.
I don’t know anything about Zhuwao’s statement,” Gumbo said.
During the same week which Mujuru apologised to tour operators, Zanu PF
politburo members, Stan Mudenge and Saviour Kasukuwere told owners of
conservancies in Masvingo that they were going to invade them to make way
for a Chinese farmer who intends to grow cotton on the land.