Matonga, who forcibly took over the citrus farm from Thomas Beattie at the height of land invasions, said the lack of agriculture funding and non-payment for produce delivered to the Grain Marketing Board had severely affected his farm activity. “I am no longer selling anything out of the orange project. The plantation is starved of water as the irrigation infrastructure is regularly sabotaged by residents of Chegutu,” said Matonga.
The farm draws water from the Mupfuri River, 20km away. He claimed that criminals from Chegutu sabotaged the water pipes, resulting in water not reaching farm canals. He castigated the government for letting him down.
“The government is not adequately funding the agriculture sector. Without funding there is not much we can do on the farms,” he said.
Locals described Matonga’s rundown farm as a classic example of how formerly thriving commercial farms had been driven into the ground by new farmers.
Remaining farm workers claimed Matonga owed them unpaid wages, dating back to the year the Zanu (PF) legislator took over the farm from Beattie.
“Matonga owes us money. He does not pay his workers. We also do not have any protective clothing. Living conditions are poor as living quarters have no water supplies. The farm has no toilet facilities and families have to dig pit latrines,” said one of the workers. Matonga could not give a clear answer to claims by workers that he owed them unpaid wages.
“Go back to the farm today and see if workers are not doing their roles as usual,” he said. Matonga said probing into workers’ living conditions had nothing to do with agriculture activities at the farm.
Post published in: News