Some Chinese who are leasing farms in Zimbabwe are not just into farming but are mining illegally and not accounting for the minerals they extract, Southerton Member of Parliament Gift Chimanikire said during his contribution to the Land Commission Bill.
“Our Chinese colleagues are leasing farms for farming purposes. The problem with what our Chinese colleagues are doing is, instead of concentrating on farming, they are mining illegally within those farms where they are farming,” he said.
“This is an area that should be of concern to Members of this august House where they are mining without accountability. One would like to know where the gold and platinum is going when people move in on ten year leases pretending that they are there to farm.
“They do the farming of course but there is illegal mining going on within those farms. The Chinese are very good in saying that you must not trespass into the area where they are farming. In other words, it is very difficult to observe some of these misdemeanours but this is a fact Mr. Speaker, that I have observed as I travel to my rural area, that Chinese farmers are abusing the land that they are leasing.”
Chimanikire also ought to know because he was a deputy Minister for Mines during the inclusive government.
Though he welcomed the establishment of the commission and the land audit, Chimanikire said he was opposed to the idea of members of one family having farms of their own.
“I would like to object to some of the innuendos that were put across yesterday by some of the Hon. Members, to say if I have a family of 10 children, I should have 10 farms. The father and mother should have their own farm and the other 10 children should have their own farms.
“That is not workable in African families. We have in this country people who have 70/80 children. Are we suggesting that these families should have 80 farms? It does not make sense and hope the Minister takes note of that,” he said.
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