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Marvelous Moyo Gwanda Correspondent
MATABELELAND South Province’s war veterans were disappointed after they were given slightly more than $47,000 as a province to help kick-start a cattle rearing project.The former freedom fighters who attended a cattle project launch at Guyu Training Centre in Gwanda District on Friday were expecting to receive $30,000 each for the cattle restocking programme but will now share $47,340.
They said the Zimbabwe War Veterans Trust national executive had earlier promised each former freedom fighter $30,000 for the exercise at their farms.
The war vets said the trust informed them that they failed to meet the investor’s expectations, hence the reviewing of the loan figures.
The $47,340 loan allocated to the province will cater for the 90 war veterans who invested $55 per month from their pensions towards the project as part of an investment initiated by Old Mutual.
The trust’s national projects coordinator, Cde Charity Sikhosana, said Old Mutual had promised a $46 million loan if membership reached the 10,000 mark.
“Yes, initially the arrangement was to give each member $30,000 but unfortunately our membership is only around 1,000. We will now have to work in groups,” she said.
This did not go down well with members in the province who said they were not ready to be forced into a “cooperative”.
The former liberation war fighters said although the project was noble and meant to uplift their livelihoods, the idea of forming one big co-operative for the cattle project was not welcome, given the history of failed co-operatives in the country.
“Initially we were told that we will get $30,000 each under this project but now you have forced us into a co-operative yet we wanted to invest at our own farms as individuals. We don’t understand how this came about and you are just ambushing us with this co-operative idea now. It is not how we want things done. Working in co-operatives is not in the best of our interests,” said a war veteran.
The members then proposed that working in smaller groups preferably in districts would yield better results.
However, some war veterans said they felt left out as the initiative had never been communicated to them before.
The excluded war vets said the first time they heard about the project was at the launch.
To kick-start the project, some provincial executive members proposed the use of the three-tier Model D Farm in Guyu area.
However, Guyu community members who attended the launch said they were surprised to hear of the “attempt to take over their farm”, a relief grazing area for their cattle.
“Kanti inkomo lezi ngezikabani? Phela thina abanikazi bepulazi asitshelwanga lutho, sizwa libuzana ngokuthi inkomo zingaphi, kanti inkomo lezo ziyangena esibayeni sikabani thina abanikazi singakwazi? Ipulazi ngelethu leli. Nxa kuyikuthi lisilungiselele ukuthi sesiyathola inkomo, hayi siyabonga vele besizimelele ngoba indawo silayo la,” said an elderly villager from Guyu-Chelesa.
Officially launching the project, the trust’s national chairman Retired Colonel Basten Beta encouraged the freedom fighters to take farming as a business to sustain their families.
He said through the cattle programme, war veterans’ lives would change for the better.
“This is an important day for us because since 1980, we have never had such an initiative. We should remain committed to working for our country. We worked hard during the war but now we need to work even harder to develop our economy and create a brighter future for our children.
“Our strength is in unity, so let us remain united for our projects to be successful,” said Rtd Col Beta.
He said the trust intends to do pen fattening before selling the animals in order to buy more.
They will then share the cattle as members after repaying the loan which is due in 12 months at 15 percent interest rate.
The Zimbabwe War Veterans Trust secured a $1,1 million loan to be shared amongst the ten provinces.
Online Reporter