Bennett says MDC have no power in government

By Violet Gonda
29 September 2009

Roy Bennett, the MDC-T Deputy Minister of Agriculture nominee, has said the security situation in the country is now one of concern, eight months after the formation of the inclusive government. The MDC official, who is still waiting to be sworn into office by Robert Mugabe, said it’s ‘rule by the gun’ and the MDC has no means of dealing with the problems bedevilling the coalition government, because ZANU PF is sharply in control.

Bennett was responding to criticism on SW Radio Africa by commercial farmers who accuse the MDC of not doing anything to stop the violent farm invasions. One such farmer is Charles Lock from the Headlands district who is being threatened by soldiers and he and his farm workers are being forced off the farm, despite several High Court judgments in his favour. The soldiers are acting on behalf of army Brigadier General Justin Itayi Mujaji.

Bennett said ZANU PF is completely ignoring a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the political rivals in July last year that there would be no farm invasions and that there would be a land audit. “Obviously this is being totally ignored and highlights the total disrespect for the rule of law and the total disrespect for court judgment.”

He said Lock has at least eight court judgements in his favour and has completely followed the government procedure of applying for land and being granted land as an A2 Settler. “Then being challenged by a Brigadier, who is actually (Minister) Patrick Chinamasa’s brother-in-law, because the two sisters want to farm next to each other, and basically being protected by Chinamasa and using his might as a Brigadier – and using his brigade on the farms to protect his personal interests with absolutely no accountability.”

The MDC official said his party has no means of dealing with these sorts of issues, other than referring back to the Global Political Agreement and appealing to SADC – the guarantors of the power sharing agreement, to see if SADC can enforce compliance. He said a number of issues in the GPA have not been adhered to and are being totally ignored by their partners – ZANU PF. He said the MDC is powerless, while ZANU PF has the military and a patronage system it uses to ‘give’ land to those it favours, and it is doing this with total impunity.

Despite claiming the government’s land reform programme is meant to correct ‘historical imbalances’ and is there to give land to landless black Zimbabweans through a one man one farm policy, it was revealed this weekend that Robert and Grace Mugabe own 12 farms between them. Nearly all of them seized from white farmers. Bennett believes this is just the tip of the iceberg and the reason why ZANU PF is vehemently fighting any land audit. He said this is the status quo across the country.

“You will find government ministers, businessmen who are ZANU PF affiliated – who have thriving businesses in Harare, who have grabbed farms. It’s pure corruption, it’s pure greed, it’s pure theft and there is no such thing as enough.”

Meanwhile, the MDC official is expected back in court for his trial on October 13. Mugabe is refusing to swear him in as the MDC’s Deputy Agriculture Minister, claiming he is facing serious terrorism charges. Bennett denies these claims of ‘organising arms of war’ to topple the Mugabe regime and says it is part of the on-going victimisation campaign he has suffered at the hands of ZANU PF. He said there is no movement on swearing him in and he is now waiting to see what happens when his trial starts in mid October.