War vets call for meeting in land row

today as the battle over redistribution and allocation of land rages on in the province.
The former liberation fighters recently attacked the leadership in the province whom they accused of irregularities in allocating land.
They accused the lands committee of being corrupt and protecting white commercial farmers whose “90 days” to remain on the farms have long expired.
The war veterans threatened to invade land that is still owned by whites who have remained on farms despite being served with notices to vacate the farms.
They have since invaded Wilsgrove Farm in Esigodini where six of them are staying at the moment.
The provincial secretary for lands in the Matabeleland South chapter, Cde Gibson Boston Siziba who visited Chronicle offices said the meeting was meant to prepare for the occupation of outstanding farms as they move to take over their quota on the land.
He could not be drawn into releasing a list of the targeted farms but said they had compiled all the information.
“We are calling upon all district chairpersons and secretaries for lands to meet in Gwanda at 10am on 21 December 2011 to map the way forward.
“We want to have a meeting first and discuss among ourselves on the strategies and then we would expose the culprits and release names of targeted farms. The reason being we are arranging the take over of our quota so that we utilise it. We have identified all the farms and very soon we will make a move,” he said.
Cde Siziba said only a few former freedom fighters had benefited from the programme while those who got land were yet to be given confirmation letters.
He said most of them had received inputs from the Presidential Well-Wishers Input Scheme but had no land.
He said on 26 July this year the war veterans asked district administrators from the province to submit a list of acquired, allocated and outstanding farms.
Cde Siziba recently said there were some leaders who had more than 7 000 hectares of land each, yet the waiting list has more than 12 000 people.
President Mugabe recently said the Government would investigate reports that some beneficiaries of the land reform were leasing farms to displaced white former commercial farmers.
The probe will expose the culprits whose farms will be expropriated and given to those who want land.
President Mugabe said there were reports, which suggested that some high-ranking officials were involved in the unholy alliances. Also speaking at the recent Zanu-PF 12th annual People’s Conference in Bulawayo, President Mugabe warned those who had benefited from the land redistribution programme but were either allowing white former commercial farmers or were letting the farms lie idle that they risked losing the farms.