CHEGUTU- The citrus farms here which used to employ hundreds of locals and generating foreign currency for the country are now abandoned.
Zanu (PF) politicians who grabbed the farms have abandoned the farms, vandalised or sold the equipment left by former owners.
A survey by The Zimbabwean last week showed that the famous Big Orange Farm, which was formerly owned by Thomas Beattie and invaded by the former Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga, during the chaotic land grab, was now in a sorry state with citrus trees wilting. The equipment which was forcibly taken from Beattie has either been sold or broken down.
Matonga is producing lemons instead of oranges. The equipment he grabbed from our former employer Beattie is now just a heap of scrap as you can see. A number of farm workers were dismissed and are now jobless and loitering in Chegutu, said Julius Mutongwera, a former worker for Beattie.
It`s a shame that such a big farm, which used to produce oranges for export and earning our country foreign currency has been reduced into a lemon field, he said.
Sources at Nyadzonia Farm (former Big Orange) located along Chegutu-Bulawayo Road said Matonga rarely spent time on the farm. They said he had lost interest in farming because the farm was just lying idle.
The story is the same at Stockdale Estate owned by Peter Etheredge, which was grabbed by the son of Senate President Edna Madzongwe.
Sources said Madzongwe`s son had no knowledge of farming and had sold all the citrus farming equipment before abandoning the farm.
They said he had moved out more than 30 cattle out of the farm and stripped farm equipment, which he had sold to surrounding farmers.
No attention has been given to Citrus farming. The young man is just focusing on looting and destroying. Such people must be moved out of farms because they are counterproductive and they are frustrating efforts by Finance minister Tendai Biti to rebuild the shattered economy, said a farm worker who refused to be named.
Hippovalle Farm grabbed by Zimpapers Chief Reporter Emilia Zindi was also being under-utilised. She and her two sons, Misheck and Moses Chimombe, were accused of vandalising and selling equipment at the farm as well as ill treating workers.
The sons are notorious for attacking farm workers whenever they demand their dues. The sons were currently out on bail after they were accused of killing a farm worker and burnt his body using tyres to conceal evidence in 2008.
Post published in: News