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Minister Mombeshora

Columbus Mabika Herald Reporter
Dr Grace Mugabe Foundation Farm, owned by the First Family, has won the Mashonaland Central Land Reform Top Producer award for the 2014 -2015 cropping season.

Local Government, Public Works and National Housing Minister, Dr Ignatius Chombo, presented a certificate of excellence to Gushungo Holdings Farm manager Mr Stanley Nhari, at a Mashonaland Central Land Reform Top Producers field tour in Mazowe on Thursday.

Dr Chombo urged farmers to emulate, First Lady Dr Grace Mugabe in land utilisation.

“We should borrow from what the First Lady is doing here. If everyone else works to this standard, we can easily bring Zimbabwe back to its bread basket status,” he said. “Let’s utilise the land which was given to us.”

The minister hailed Dr Grace Mugabe for being a role model for the land reform programme.

“The First Lady is our role model and this farm is our model farm. She is using this farm, which she was allocated to support her children’s home. She has showed the world her capabilities and we should replicate that gesture in our respective communities and change the lives of fellow Zimbabweans.”

Dr Chombo castigated those who were saying the land reform was a failure.

“With the magnitude of this farming, we will go a long way and those who are saying the land reform programme is a failure are lying to themselves,” he said.

“This shows that black farmers can do more than what the white farmers were doing.”

He said farming was a major facet of the economic blueprint, ZimAsset, and should be taken as full time employment in order to achieve national goals.

Speaking at the same event, Lands and Rural Resettlements Minister Dr Douglas Mombeshora said Government’s efforts to offer title deeds to all farmers were now at an advanced stage.

“Plans are now at an advanced stage to offer all farmers title deeds so that farmers are able to get financial assistance from financial institutions,” he said.

Dr Mombeshora also took the opportunity to encourage those who still needed land to apply through his ministry. “This land belongs to Zimbabweans. That’s the reason why we fought the armed struggle,” he said.