Chronicle Editor
Limukani Ncube
“ . . . SHE will see hardships; she will bury even the last lice from her home . . . God cannot protect you and leave all these women crying . . . I wish all bad things happen to you. I wish all your loved ones die. You have left us in trouble and suffering. Do you think we came to the UK to work for you? We left our parents struggling back home . . . Your mother is sitting at the table and eating eggs and other good food . . . Your day for reckoning is coming . . . ,” said a woman in a cellphone recording circulated on WhatsApp platforms of various social groups that included members of Qoki ZiNdlovukazi Community Organisation and the media last week.
Some of the contents of the audio and other audios from the same platform were not family friendly, and could not be used in this article. Nonetheless, that shows the level of disagreements, toxicity,and anger that has divided Qoki ZiNdlovukazi Community Organisation, a UK-headquartered all-female organisation meant to help women pool resources together and make investments in various income-generating projects and properties. In short, the group, through Qoki Investments, was meant to create a social and economic revolution for women, drawn mostly from Matabeleland and Midlands provinces who are working in the UK.
Founded in December 2016 by Ms Sithule Tshuma, who has been the subject of attack on various social media platforms in recent months over the said controversial housing land deals, Qoki ZiNdlovukazi is a grouping of about 500 women from Canada, America, Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland, South Africa and Zimbabwe who have over the years raised as much as US$25 million to purchase land and initiate 27 other ambitious projects aimed at reshaping Matabeleland’s developmental landscape.
The organisation has been pursuing women economic empowerment through Qoki UK Property Investments, Qoki Zimbabwe Property Investments, Qoki Solar Geyser Project, Qoki Cow Project and Qoki Borehole Project in Zimbabwe, Qoki Groceries Projects, Qoki Savings Projects, Qoki Birthday Projects and Qoki Investment Group, among others.
“At first, we pooled our resources to support one another as a community. This collective effort brought us closer together, enabling us to share the challenges we face while being socially isolated in a foreign land. We started by raising funds to provide blankets for district hospitals and offer support to those in need. The aim of our women’s group was to empower and assist each other during vulnerable times and economic hardships,” Ms Tshuma was quoted as saying by our sister paper, Chronicle, in an earlier interview.
Motivated by their initial successes, the group expanded its aspirations beyond individual assistance and set sights on grand achievements, such as building houses, setting up a private clinic in Bulawayo, acquiring a bus, trucks and venturing into manufacturing detergents, among other projects. The vision was clear, and seemingly moving in the right direction until some members started whispering to friends, relatives, and the media that allegedly, not everyone was benefiting from the projects.
Some felt short-changed and there were irregularities in some of the housing land deals. All hell broke loose, with some members approaching the courts in the country last year. Some reported the case to the police and the Zimbabwe Anti-Corruption Commission, who have instituted separate investigations into the allegations raised against the founder of the organisation.
“We are writing to you as victims of Qoki Investments Pvt Ltd and their lawyer’s (name withheld) scandal, a convoluted web of fraudulent activities, misrepresentation and unethical practices that have left over 500 women, mainly based in the Diaspora on the brink of despair and potentially losing over US$25 million. We hope you will help us and hopefully share awareness and possibly investigate our matter,” read part of the letter to the media from a member.
The letter claimed that there were irregularities in some land bought, with prices allegedly inflated in some places. In other areas, members, upon conducting their own investigations, claimed that “owners said they did not sell the land”, some land bought by the organisation was State land, and another piece of land was said to be a mining claim.
“In another instance, the Nondweni Two group was sold gazetted land, already occupied by beneficiaries of the Land Reform Programme. The lawyer continually denies the issue, saying it will not affect us as we have a title deed. Upon investigation, it was discovered that there was a court case pending regarding this land . . . The Nondweni Three group discovered their land had a mining claim, a fact that was not disclosed to the ladies. The directors of Qoki were aware of the mining claim and had negotiated a compensation agreement with the seller without informing the other investors . . . I, along with the other victims, are now demanding a full refund from the directors of Qoki ZiNdlovukazi, who we believe have tainted the company’s reputation with their fraudulent activities. Despite the mounting evidence against them, the directors and the lawyer continue to deny any wrongdoing, showing no remorse for the lives they have shattered,” read part of the letter.
The land was purchased in various parts of Bulawayo and surrounding areas that include Woodville, Nondweni (along Inyathi Road after Bulawayo Airport turn off) and Douglasdale, among others. Some group members are said to have taken bank loans to finance the projects, while others invested life savings from working abroad.
“With no solution in sight, some members are now depressed and sick. Some marriages are collapsing as some men do not understand why their wives invested so much money into such projects. In fact, some men claim they did not know that their women were part of this grouping,” said a member of the group.
However, in an interview from her UK base last week, Ms Tshuma said she was working on a lasting solution to the challenges facing the organisation.
“Yes, mistakes were made and challenges are there, but all hope is not lost. The projects will continue. I have been in talks with land developers who have shown a keen interest to be part of the land projects. They have agreed to refund members who want to pull out. So those who are disgruntled will get their money back and we will move forward. The problem is that a lot has been said and many people have spoken about this issue without having the facts. When I suggest to those who are complaining that we will refund them, some of them refuse and raise other issues claiming I will personally benefit in the end. So what do they want? On the issue of pricing for some pieces of land, we were dealing with agents who bought the land on our behalf and obviously put their own mark up or commission, so when some members went directly to the land seller, they were told a different figure. So we had to explain that to our members, but I believe there is a way forward,” said Ms Tshuma.
She said they had agreed that when a member is pulling out of any project, they have to bring in a replacement, “but with the negativity that has covered the housing projects, it has become difficult to attract any replacement.”
Promises were made. Dreams were nurtured. Will the promises and dreams of members come to life? That is the question. Over to you Ms Tshuma.
Online Reporter