Villagers up in arms over DCC candidate
By Thandeka Matebesi
Tsholotsho villagers are up in arms with a local businessman who has expressed interest in becoming the Chairperson of the District Coordinators Committee (DCC) saying that he does not have the interests of the locals at heart.
Villagers who spoke to Community Podium said Owen Sibanda had, on more than one occasion, allocated himself land meant for communal occupation without the approval of local leadership.
It is alleged that in 2018 Sibanda forcefully occupied and fenced about 30 hectares of land in Godzo Line of Ward 13 at a farm resulting in tension with the local Chief Conrad Magama.
“When Sibanda occupied and put a fence around 30 hectares of land in Godzo line both the Chief and the villagers were very angry as he did not have any legal documents permitting him to do that. This irritated the community, prompting them to burn and destroy the property”.
“Following this incident about 126 members were arrested until the Minister of Local Governance intervened. The matter was taken to the courts (case no HC3148/18/2018) and the ruling was in favour of the villagers. Sibanda was served with an eviction notice in March 2019, but he disregarded the ruling and continued to occupy the land,” said one of the community members who spoke on condition of anonymity.
He added: “Now Sibanda is busy campaigning to be chosen as the DCC Chairperson in Tsholotsho but who would want to be led by someone who disrespects the local leadership and the community by allocating himself land wherever and whenever he likes? Most community members do not even want him in Tsholotsho because he made them suffer by taking communal land meant for grazing.
Further, he has shown the community that he is a violent person by having more than 100 community members arrested. He also built a lodge in Tsholotsho without the approval of the local authority.
A local headman who identified himself as Herman said that a person who does not respect the community cannot be expected to lead the same.
“Personally I don’t want to be led by an individual such as Sibanda who does not care about laws or the welfare of the community. He will be of no use to us,” he said.
