Zanu (PF) Frustrating Council’s Bid To Stop Illegal Cultivation
11/01/2011 11:53:00
Harare, January 11, 2011 – Znau (PF) has accused the Bulawayo and Harare led
city councils of undermining President Robert Mugabe’s efforts by slashing
maize crops planted by residents in undesignated areas.
Sanu (PF) Harare province chair Amos Midzi defended the practise, which
causes soil erosion saying: “This is a political move aimed at sabotaging
the efforts of our President Robert Mugabe who is giving away agriculture
inputs to urban population in order to boost food security. They are doing
so because they have realised that their Finance Minister Tendai Biti’s
agriculture budget for this farming season has been surpassed by that of the
President’s…”
Both Harare and Bulawayo City Councils are led by MDC-T.
The City authorities are on a massive maize crop slashing, saying the
practise was not only an environmental disaster but the crop fields were a
haven for criminals.
Zanu (PF) has been accusing MDC of sabotaging the land reform which it
embarked on, in 2000, and only benefited its senior party members.
MDC said there should be a land audit to establish genuine land users.
President Robert Mugabe in December last year launched a parallel farm input
distribution programme which his party is using for political campaign
throughout the country.
The party is distributing the farming inputs to churches such as Johane
Marange, urban and rural communities while demonising MDC, particularly Biti
whom they accuse of failing to allocate enough funds to support the
agriculture sector.