HON. JAMES: Supplementary question Madam Speaker.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: That is the last one.
HON. JAMES: Thank you Madam Speaker. Hon. Minister, the people negotiating with you regarding the Profica deal are not legally mandated by the bulk of the title deed holders. Is he aware of this?
HON. PROF. M. NCUBE: We have been having discussions on this compensation over the last 15 years. It is only in the last five years or so that we have been able to have traction and there is a team that has been negotiating and we were always under the impression that it is legally mandated. No one has ever objected before in the last 15 years that this was the wrong team. Suddenly, the assertion that this is the wrong team is new. I am hearing it for the first time now, today. We have always understood that they were the legally mandated team.
This team worked for a very long time Madam Speaker, gruelling hours with Valcon trying to value each farm, farm by farm. We argued with them about valuations. We negotiated. What we did, we even went to town hall meetings in Bulawayo and Harare, not only once but twice. We filled a hall up in the Mount Pleasant, Pomona area and then we did a referendum. So, it also went to the group as a collective in addition to the leadership who were working with us. So, I must say I am quite surprised that now there is an assertion that perhaps some of these leadership members are not legally legitimate. It is quite a surprise but we have come a long way. This issue was stuck for a while and now we have a payment plan for compensation and the compensation has begun. I thank you Madam Speaker.
HON. JAMES: Madam Speaker, one last supplementary question please.
THE TEMPORARY SPEAKER: Honourable James, I had said that was the last one but you may go ahead.
HON. JAMES: Thank you Madam Speaker. Hon. Minister, it would be prudent to meet the legitimately elected members because the roadshows that you are referring to gave a very different message that I think probably has not been conveyed to you. So I would appeal to you that you do meet with the legally mandated members of the farming community and title deed holders. I thank you Honourable Minister.
HON. PROF. M. NCUBE: Thank you Madam Speaker. Again, I thank Hon. James for giving me this new information. It is always good to learn new things and understand new things and I am happy to receive again a delegation from the farmers to understand what new difficulty has arisen since we have made all these agreements and put them in place and in fact, have a payment plan and are executing on that payment plan. What variations are being sought or if there are other strategies perhaps to fast-track payment, what are those but I am happy to listen. My door is open. Hon. James is free to approach my office and bring over these colleagues who want to have further conversations on this matter. I thank you.
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