Beatific Gumbwanda
CHIREDZI – Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association (ZNLWVA) secretary for lands, Retired Major Faster Gono has challenged politicians and the country’s leadership to stop blaming sanctions and work for greater national unity through equitable sharing of the country’s resources.
Gono, who went to war in 1975 at the age of 14, said Zimbabweans were not happy, adding that only if all citizens began to enjoy their fair share of national wealth would there be real unity.
He dismissed the sanctions mantra saying late Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi lived under stringent Western sanctions for decades but still managed to develop a fairly sophisticated and equal economy.
“Gaddafi was sanctioned throughout his reign but his people lived a happy life because resources were shared more equitably among the citizens. There was free education, health and housing for those who deserved. Loans were given at zero interest,” said Gono.
The Zimbabwe Sugarcane Milling Industry Workers Association (ZSMIWA) leader, who owns a highly productive 29ha sugarcane plot in Hippo Valley, said instead of parceling new plots to new farmers, there should first be an audit of the available land as a way of addressing corruption.
“We still have a crisis of land which was acquired corruptly and a team from the ministry was here last year but they haven’t done anything about it. There are high profile people with as much as 600ha per family. It would be good to share that land with other deserving people before we can talk about creating new plots to be irrigated by water from Tugwi-Mukosi,” he said.
Gono has been leading calls for a thorough audit of land that was allocated to new small scale indigenous farmers, saying there were countless incidences of corruption involved.
Recently, he came out strongly against new famers who hijacked Tongaat Hulett houses, saying only the company’s employees should live in those houses.
