Hon. Speaker, matters of productivity, competitiveness and food security are a matter of national security and I think the question of command agriculture clearly attest to this. The Land question as rightfully pointed out by the Chairperson of that Committee is an emotive question. This Commission has a mammoth task before it and at times I feel the difficulties may just be too overwhelming.
Hon. Minister, while your Committee is looking into land disputes, I wish you could also give it teeth to look into the question of waiting lists. I am still on the waiting list, I applied for land in 1999 and like any law abiding citizen, I still await my turn to be given land, so if you have got land, here is a sincere question that you must ask yourself that why you and not the next person. Hon. Speaker, this thing is bothering us in Matabeleland; land has been allocated to superior tribes than the local tribes. This is very true, we may hide behind the finger but this is the only truth that we have to live with no matter how uncomfortable it is. Prime Matabeleland game land has been given to people from elsewhere, where people are making a lot of money every season through hunting quotas. We do not have that. So, the land question in Matabeleland is far from being settled.
Allow to move me to make a quick quotation Hon. Speaker. This is from General Tongogara and I quote “I am dying to see change in the system that is all. I would like to see the young people enjoying together both black and white, enjoying together in a new Zimbabwe. That is all”. I – [HON. MEMBERS: Inaudible interjections.] – Alright, I am coming to you. Where the illustrious General is talking black and white, you may today want to substitute that with the words Zezuru, Manyika, Karanga, Kalanga, Tonga and Ndebele. I will speak for Matabeleland because I come from there. It is a time bomb and this Government is sitting on that time bomb.
We know that every time we speak the uncomfortable truth to this Government, they reply us with a lot of fire. We know how they behave. We know you are in charge of the instruments of physical control but we will still have our say Mr. Speaker. So Hon. Minister, I would like this Commission to be given teeth to revisit the waiting list because I am still on the waiting list. At one point I was told that the resettlement process has come to an end but every morning when I read the newspaper, someone has invaded a fresh Macadamia Farm. If the process is still ongoing, please consider those who are still on the waiting list. – [HON. MEMBERS: Hear, hear.] –
On that waiting list are disabled ex-combatants, people that brought about this country. Hon. Speaker, let me apply my mind to the independence of this Commission. The Commission as it is currently crafted is a mere desk in the Minister’s office. I wish it could be elevated as earlier said by other Hon. Members to the level of an independent Commission. We know Hon. Speaker and if you ask any young person in this House, the current crop of our leaders are afloat with ‘isms’. That Commission will never work freely. They will be asked kuti chipai nhingi muzukuru wangu. It is coming from the old leaders and we are tired of that.
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