By Staff Reporter
Residents in Masvingo have called on the government to address inequalities in critical agricultural sectors amid accusations of government prioritizing men with political influence in sugarcane farming.
These grievances were raised during a People’s Assembly meeting organized by the Fighting Inequality Alliance Zimbabwe (FIA) Chapter on January 18 at a local church in Masvingo, under the global theme ‘Draw the Red Line Against Inequality’.
One of the attendees, Sungano Zvarebganashe, voiced concerns about the dominance of men in sugarcane farming lamenting the lack of opportunities for women and lack of opportunities for locals in mining where the rich and foreign nationals get preference.
“There are fewer women in agricultural sectors, such as sugarcane farming, which is dominated by men. This hinders women’s progress.
“The mining field is also dominated by foreign nationals in our areas, and people in the mining communities have no chance despite having the desire to. Foreigners have access to mining claims and even end up polluting our water under our watch. Claims are often given to the super-rich, leaving out locals who might have an interest in mining,” said Zvarebganashe.
Participants also criticized the government for imposing heavy taxes on goods, which they said disproportionately affect poor consumers. They called for the taxation of business owners and wealthy individuals to ease the burden on ordinary citizens.
“It is only the poor that bear the burden of heavy taxation from the government. When heavy taxes are introduced, consumers end up paying higher prices for goods. Business owners should also be taxed to share this burden,” said one participant.
Another participant, David Vurayayi called for government to ensure equality in the health department by providing adequate funding for procuring medical supplies for public hospital pharmacies.
“One person is capable of owning many pharmacies across the country with adequate supplies yet provincial hospitals are in lack of adequate supplies. Our pharmacies should provide cheap medical supplies which will benefit both hospitals and the public,” said Vurayayi.
Locals also called for a reduction in taxes for civil servants whose meagre salaries are already a cause for concern.
The event, part of the global movement, aimed to challenge billionaire greed and demand real solutions to economic disparities.
FIA mobilized the gatherings to pressurize governments to prioritize the general public which is less privileged through making investments in critical sectors such as education, healthcare housing and addressing climate issues. Taxing the super-rich is one of the organization’s solutions to providing equality.
