PM, Mugabe agree on Save invasions
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
November 9, 2012 in News
PRESIDENT Robert Mugabe and Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai have agreed to
end invasions of the money-spinning Save Valley Conservancy –– the largest
private wildlife sanctuary in the world –– by army generals and party
heavyweights.
Report by Staff Writer
In a recent interview with Zimbabwe Independent Tsvangirai said the two
principals agreed to deal with the issue at their Monday meeting last week.
“We agreed to stop the nonsense at the Save Valley Conservancy,” said
Tsvangirai.
“It would appear the (Masvingo) governor (Titus Maluleke) is being defiant
by putting his own chiefs into the conservancies. The president said he will
deal with that issue. It is a political issue –– a Zanu PF issue. In terms
of the land reform, the president confirmed that conservancies were
excluded,” he said.
The move comes two months after Mugabe, in a politburo meeting, fiercely
attacked army commanders, including major-generals and senior Zanu PF
officials, for grabbing safari landholdings in the Save Conservancy and
ordered them out immediately.
He accused them of being “greedy” for grabbing conservancies when they
already owned farms seized from white commercial farmers evicted during the
chaotic and violent land reform programme.
The Zanu PF politburo set up a committee comprising Local Government, Rural
and Urban Development minister Ignatius Chombo, Lands, Land Reform and
Resettlement minister Herbert Murerwa, Tourism and Hospitality minister
Walter Mzembi and Environment and Natural Resources Management minister
Francis Nhema to deal with the issue but the committee has reportedly made
no headway.
Zanu PF officials and military elites have benefitted from the seizures of
safari operations at Save Conservancy.