MASVINGO — Tourism minister Walter Mzembi may be going against promoting the Brand Zimbabwe that he so tirelessly advertises after he recently obtained an offer letter to take over a farm belonging to prominent Masvingo chicken breeder Helen Mitchell.
By Tatenda Chitagu
The Mitchells run Masvingo Chicks Company which is the only chicken breeder that supplies the whole of Masvingo province, dishing out 100 000 day-old chicks and 50 000 eggs per week. They have been in the poultry business and horticulture for more than four decades.
The couple has always been donating to Zanu PF functions as well as several orphanages and schools in the province.
Mzembi’s offer letter, dated February 20 2015, entitles him to grab the remaining 367 hectares of Banquest Extension Farm after part of it was already resettled by indigenous black farmers.
Mzembi — who already has a farm, Standard A1 just outside Masvingo that he allegedly failed to run and abandoned is said to have sent his representatives to Banquest Extension last Friday informing Mitchell that he was the new owner of the property.
Although Mzembi could not be reached for comment as was said to be in a meeting yesterday, Mitchell confirmed the development but refused to shed more details.
“Yes, I can confirm that he (Mzembi) sent people to our farm with the offer letter, but I cannot say much as this may jeopardise our negotiations as we are still appealing,” she said.
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“It is difficult to say anything at the moment, but we will follow the right channels and see how this goes. We were assured of exemption as we had already given half of the farm for resettlement.
But we were told of the impending takeover long back.”
