adminLeonard Ncube Victoria Falls Reporter
TRADITIONAL leaders in Matabeleland North last week said they feel cheated by companies doing business in the province as none has honoured its pledge to contribute funds towards the provincial Community Share Ownership Trust Scheme (CSOTS)since it was launched in 2012. When President Mugabe launched the scheme at Hwange Colliery Stadium in October 2012, a number of companies, mostly mines, pledged millions of dollars in seed capital. Companies that pledged funds for the scheme include Duration Gold Mine, Casmyn Mine, China Africa Sunlight that promised to contribute $1 million each. Hwange Colliery, Chibondo Mines, South Mining and Makomo Resources pledged $600 000 each while Hwange Coal Gasification pledged $500 000. Only Chief Ndondo’s people from Umguza District benefited after Portland Pretoria Cement honoured its $1 million pledge.
Chief Dingane/Nelukoba of Gwayi area, who now chairs the trust after the death of Chief Mvuthu of Monde, said they were now planning to engage the executive over the issue.
“We are so much concerned because these people gave false promises in front of President Mugabe pledging to pay millions of dollars. Up to now none of them has paid anything. We have told the District Administrator Mr Tapera Mugoriya and an ad hoc committee of Parliament that visited recently and now we are planning to engage the Minister of Youth Development, Indigenisation and Economic Empowerment to table this with the President,” said Chief Dingane/Nelukoba.
Chief Shana of Jambezi in Hwange District, who chairs the provincial chiefs’ council, said no one was talking about the issue raising fears that the CSOTS could have died a natural death.
“We have failed to approach any company and none of them has come to us to honour the pledges since the scheme was launched. As chiefs we have talked about the issue but we have got no response from anyone,” he said. He added: “There is no proper communication. It seems it’s dead but we can’t rush to say that because we might end up not benefiting at all. We are thinking of approaching the Office of the President but we have to get an update from our secretary to see if there has been any communication lately.”
Hwange Rural District Council chief executive officer Mr Phindile Ncube is the provincial trust committee secretary. He said no company had honoured its pledge and hoped they would take heed to Government’s call recently that there was no going back on the empowerment programmes.
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