By Own Correspondent| Former Zanu Pf youth league boss Kudzi Chipanga is likely to lose a farm he had taken during the reign of former president Robert Mugabe amid indications of government’s plans to repossess the farm and return it to its previous white owner.
Chipanga, a staunch supporter of the former first lady Dr Grace Mugabe had a high powered Zanu Pf delegation visit his Wakefield farm on Monday which addressed farm workers and revealed that the ownership structure of the farm had changed.
This comes as former youth leader Mubuso Chinguno is locked in a bitter fight with President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s aide who is reportedly eyeing his farm in Chipinge.
Chipanga and Chinguno were part of the G40 group which crumbled when the military ousted former President Robert Mugabe in November last year.
Although they maintained their allegiance to Zanu PF after their demise, some Zanu PF leaders are reportedly pursuing a vindictive agenda against the duo.
According to a letter dated May 31, the Makoni district land committee recommended to return Chipanga’s Wakefield Farm to its previous owner, one Mr Dawson, while awaiting to give the farm to Manicaland State University.
Headlands Zanu PF legislator Christopher Chingosho who attended the meeting said their meeting was above board and Chipanga deserves to leave, considering that the farm is allocated to Manicaland State University.
“We are not saying Chipanga must go but that farm has an offer letter issued out on July 25, 2016 saying that farm must be given to the university,” he said.
“Because of the divisions and fights in the party the farm was allocated to Kudzi Chipanga by Mandi Chimene and the reason being that she wanted Chipanga to come to Headlands so that he will eventually become the MP.
The plan was that at this year’s elections, as the sitting MP I will be expelled from the party and replaced by Chipanga,” he said.
Asked if their actions were part of retributions against Chipanga, Chingosho maintained that the farm must be handed back to the university.
“It’s not revenge but that farm was acquired and allocated to a university in July 2016.
I am hearing that for the first time that there are plans to give the farm back to the white owner, I don’t know about that.
It’s not retribution on Chipanga,” he said.
In Chipinge, one of Mnangagwa’s aides is reportedly eyeing Chinguno’ s Chipinge West Farm.
Chinguno, who apologised to Zanu PF leaders for his involvement in the G40 issues, said he has been at the farm since 2010 but was disturbed when people came to the farm telling his workers that they should give way to one of Mnangagwa’s close aides.-Newsday.