RBZ thwarts Zanu PF looters of farm tools
Saturday, 02 October 2010 18:25
BULAWAYO – The Reserve Bank has stopped Zanu PF officials in Matabeleland
from grabbing and distributing amongst themselves its farm mechanisation
equipment that has been lying idle for the past three years in Bulawayo.
Zanu PF officials in the southern region recently set up a six-member
committee to come up with an inventory of the farming equipment and resolved
to distribute the various type of implements amongst themselves ahead of the
farming season.
The committee is made up of party provincial chairpersons for Bulawayo,
Matabeleland North and South provinces.
The other members are the governors of the respective provinces namely Cain
Mathema, Sithokozile Mathuthu and Angeline Masuku – whose term of office has
expired.
The committee was tasked with ensuring the urgent distribution of the
farming equipment that has been lying idle at the National Railways of
Zimbabwe (NRZ) yard in Bulawayo.
Sources said the committee has however hit a brick-wall as the central bank
has stopped it from grabbing and distributing the equipment that includes
ploughs, harrows and scotch carts among others without its consent.
Attempts to engage RBZ governor, Gideon Gono, to give the Zanu PF officials
a go-ahead to distribute the equipment have also yielded no results, sources
added, noting that the former “kept saying he would come back to us”.
Zanu PF Bulawayo chairman, Isaac Dakamela confirmed that the central bank
was refusing to let go the farming equipment.
“There are hitches that have to be ironed out first,” Dakamela said.
“We have spoken to Gono and he has promised to come back to us but he has
not done so as there are some things that he needs to clarify regarding the
distribution of the farming equipment.”
Dakamela however expressed hope that the RBZ would let go the farming
equipment ahead of the farming season.
Gono told Standardbusiness on Friday that although the mechanisation
programme was now the responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture,
Mechanisation and Irrigation, there was still need to distribute implements
bought by RBZ properly.
“The mechanisation programme was a mammoth programme and it is a programme
that is now the sole responsibility of the Ministry of Agriculture and
Mechanisation,” he said.
“We do have residual assets that are lying around not just in Bulawayo but
in other parts of the country and proper procedures will have to be followed
in terms of their distribution.”
Gono launched the farm mechanisation programme in 2007 in a bid to stimulate
agricultural production.
However, the programme was abused with politicians and Zanu PF supporters
mostly benefitting.
In February Gono issued a statement saying beneficiaries of the farm
mechanisation programme had to pay for the implements allocated to them.
“Having gone for over 30 months post-commencement of the programme, it is
now time farmers, beginning the 2010 harvests, start to pay for the
equipment they received,” Gono said in the statement.
“Beneficiaries under the Farm Mechanisation Programme will, therefore, be
receiving detailed statements and invoices, along with the payment
modalities which will be delivered to each farm gate.”
BY NQOBANI NDLOVU