Deputy Information Minister booted off farm in Banket

By Tererai Karimakwenda
30 November 2005

The NewZimbabwe.com website reports that the deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga was booted off his Mupandaguta farm in Banket. The property is reported to be the 2nd one he had invaded in Mashonaland West in just over a month. New Zimbabwe said Matonga had been given an offer letter to occupy Chigwell Estate in Chegutu, if he agreed to leave Mupandaguta the same month. But as the story goes, Matonga remained there longer, and repeatedly ignored lands officers’ orders to vacate the farm. In the end, they brought in the police to help. Government officials have been evicting commercial white farmers illegally with impunity, and lands officials have been making decisions about farms in their jurisdiction, without following guidelines laid out by the law. New Zimbabwe.com says Matonga went on a 10-minute tirade when they asked him for comment, and claimed he had access to the editor's phone calls and e-mails exchanged with Zimbabwean politicians and journalists. He allegedly said: "The farm story is very silly. It's a rubbish story, even if I had 15 farms what has that got to do with you?"How many farms government officials have stolen is every Zimbabwean’s business. They are the ones starving due to the food shortages caused by cronies like Matonga who steal farms and destroy agriculture. He needs to make it clear whether any farm workers lost their jobs when he took over these properties, and whether he has continued to grow food for the nation. “What has it got to do with you “ is the typical ZANU-PF attitude that always comes up when these greedy officials are asked to explain their actions.