Shongedzai Mugwagwa
Chiredzi Rural District officials have castigated MDC Alliance members for feeding the Chilonga residents with fake news.
In an interview with the Harare Post, the officials revealed that the Council had given a resolution that the irrigation programme pronounced by Government would go forward as planned despite fake news being fed to the nation about the programme by MDC-A officials such as that party's Vice President Tendai Biti and provincial member Livison Chituku.
Additionally, it was revealed that the entourage of Biti, Chituku, Happymore Chidziva and other unidentified officials held meetings in the middle of the night in Chilonga area planning to derail the irrigation programmes. That party agreed to use the influence of Chituku who is part of the steering committee that is engaging residents about the irrigation scheme.
Speaking to this publication, Chiredzi Rural District Chief Executive officer, Ailes Baloyi bemoaned the attempt by individuals to derail a national project for political scores. He said that the irrigation programme earmarked for the area would turn around the fortunes of the residents. He highlighted that Chilonga area was prone to drought and therefore the availability of water for irrigation purposes would guarantee food security for the residents.
He, however, highlighted that there were misconceptions being peddled by individuals bent on derailing the project. He revealed that the irrigation project earmarked to be embarked on approximately 9 000 hectares of land would benefit residents. He further revealed that people were going to be reorganised in the same environs different from what is being peddled by opposition elements that people would be moved to a yet to be identified area.
Relatedly, Baloyi opined that Chilonga residents had on average, 30 hectares of land each but which was not being fully utilised because of lack of resources and low rainfall. In that regard, he said that the irrigation scheme would assist the people with resources and improve their farm output but on a lesser land. He also highlighted that Dendairy company would implement the outgrowers system which would benefit the locals.
MDC A officials have been on an overdrive influencing Chilonga residents to resist the irrigation programmes propelling the narrative that residents were going to be moved from their ancestral land to an unidentified area. This fake news stoked anger of the residents who feared being moved without compensation.
