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George Maponga in Masvingo
Tourism and Hospitality Industry Minister Engineer Walter Mzembi has lost the battle to take over part of Barquest Farm which houses the biggest chicken hatchery project in Masvingo after the provincial lands committee recommended withdrawal of his offer letter.Minister Mzembi was early this year issued with an offer letter to take over about 367 hectares of Barquest Farm owned by Mrs Hellen Mitchell.
The farm is located 20km east of Masvingo city on the shores of Lake Mutirikwi and houses a hatchery project that produces 100,000 day-old chicks per week.
The same farm is also supplying day-old chicks to Masvingo, Manicaland and Midlands provinces.
This forced the Masvingo provincial leadership led by Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Shuvai Mahofa to bar Minister Mzembi from taking over the farm arguing that it was strategic to the economy of the province.
Engineer Mzembi defended his plans to take part of Barquest Farm.
He said he was not going to interfere with Mitchell’s chicken hatchery project but intended to partner her.
Minister Mzembi said the portion of land allocated to him had been gazetted for compulsory acquisition under the land reform programme.
Cde Mahofa yesterday said the Masvingo provincial lands committee turned down Minister Mzembi’s plans to move into Barquest Farm.
She said investigations were underway to establish how many farms Minister Mzembi owned in Masvingo.
“The Masvingo provincial lands committee met and agreed that Minister Mzembi shouldn’t move into Barquest Farm and a letter recommending the withdrawal of his offer letter for the land in question is being prepared and will be sent to the Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Cde Douglas Mombeshora,’’ she said.
“The only thing we can do for Minister Mzembi is to look for another farm for him but we’ll first investigate reports that he already has two farms with one of them said to be a conservancy on the outskirts of Masvingo.’’
Bongani Moyo
Online Reporter