17th July 2023
By Wezhira Munya
Yesterday, Citizens Coalition for Change [CCC] leader, President Nelson Chamisa promised to give resettled citizens title deeds and ensure they reside permanently on their land.
Addressing over 70,000 strong CCC supporters in Mkoba Stadium, President Chamisa said, “We [CCC] will not divide the country. Some are saying he [Chamisa] will come and take the land or reverse it. It’s not true; they are lying. On the contrary, I will give you title deeds to stay on the land permanently. I will not do what the present government is doing, which is removing people from Chilonga, Dinde, and Mutoko….”
The above message by President Chamisa is in the attached video, and one can access it on any online platform that broadcasted the CCC rally yesterday. CCC supports the land reform program and has declared it irreversible.
However, Zanu-PF has only taken and is currently circulating a 0.09-second part of the 3-minute video and said, “President Chamisa will reverse land…”. This is Zanu-PF’s ill-conceived propaganda.
President Chamisa held a rally in Chilonga last week and promised citizens that his government would not evict them from their ancestral land.
On the contrary, it is the government led by Mr. Emmerson Mnangangwa that intends to relocate Chilonga people from their ancestral land.
To put the issue of Chilonga land that President Chamisa addressed into perspective:
According to the MACRAD Trust paper titled “Chilonga Court case, Summary and Update”:
The High Court judge, Mafusire J, sat on 5/01/2022 and dismissed an application by Chilonga residents Livison Chikutu and 2 others.
The case was against the Minister of Lands and 2 others (HH02/22).
The judge dismissed an application to have the provisions of section 4 and 6[1][b] of the Communal Land Act, Chapter 20:04, declared unconstitutional.
It is on record that President Chamisa and citizens have been in Chilonga, supporting citizens in Chilonga to stay on their land.
Change Radio, Studio 7, Tellzim, among other news outlets, have informed the nation about the issue of the Zanu-PF-led government’s intention to remove Shangani residents from their land.