THE situation at Chingwizi holding camp demands that government moves with speed to quell potential unrest among disgruntled Tokwe-Mukosi villagers currently camped at the transit camp in Mwenezi.
NewsDay Editorial
Given the economic collapse in the country, it is important to deal with Chingwizi villagers in a sober manner as the riotous behaviour has potential to replicate itself across the country’s disgruntled citizens.
While none will encourage the villagers to riot against government, ruling Zanu PF politicians must desist from making empty promises. The Zanu PF politburo recently promised to pay the beleaguered villagers $8 million as compensation before they were moved to their new plots.
Unfortunately, these have turned out to be hollow promises. True, a hungry man is an angry man and events of the last few days have not been encouraging at all. It speaks to President Robert Mugabe and his ruling Zanu PF party to self-introspect.
Zimbabweans are not naturally a violent people. They respect the law and surely, government must seriously look into why these have decided to take the law into their own hands.
Is it a question of criminal elements taking advantage of a situation or otherwise? The police must investigate and weed out these unruly elements from genuine individuals who are supposed to benefit.
Whatever the result of the investigations, government must take responsibility of the goings-on as it emerged that patience has finally run out on some beleaguered villagers who are reportedly destroying tents belonging to fellow villagers for betrayal after they agreed to be redeployed to new plots in the Nuanetsi area without compensation.
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The villagers, who have been living in insecure tent accommodation since their homes, crops and property were washed away by massive flooding in February this year, want government to compensate them for being made to leave their homes of decades.
The villagers are alive to the demanding costs of building new homes in completely new territory with nothing to use for a start.
So government must not take advantage of the run-ins with the Chingwizi settlers to force them out without compensation.
The fact that the police were commandeered to relocate the clinic — itself a major borne of contention with the camped villagers shows that government is now reneging on its earlier promises for compensation. Is it not that government has stretched the patience of the poor villagers too much? What has happened to dialoguing with the villagers? Do the politicians involved in the dialogue with the villagers know the gravity of the matter at hand or not?
One wonders why government or whomsoever would clandestinely try to relocate the villagers without notifying them of the consequences. Dialogue is always required in matters like these, and Masvingo Provincial Affairs minister Kudakwashe Bhasikiti should have known that.
The burning of police vehicles is regretted by all peace-loving Zimbabweans, hence the villagers are urged to engage the authorities for progress sake. Police must, therefore, arrest all unruly elements, bring the area to order and allow the villagers to go about their business unhindered.
In the meantime, government must look for funding to compensate the villagers as history is littered by many cases of unfulfilled promises. Mugabe must see to it that the struggling villagers are compensated.
