LATEST:100s face arrest at Chingwizi

Tokwe-Mukosi-chingwizi-campGeorge Maponga recently at CHINGWIZI
Hundreds of villagers at Chingwizi holding camp in Mwenezi face arrest for allegedly masquerading as victims of flooding in the Tokwe-Mukosi basin to receive free food, clothing and other items given to families at the temporary shelter.

It has since emerged that some unscrupulous villagers from around Chingwizi took advantage of the mass relocation of families from Chivi and sneaked into the holding camp where they have been benefiting from aid meant for the flood victims.

Some of the villagers allegedly want to improperly benefit from an irrigation scheme that would be introduced at Chingwizi using Tokwe-Mukosi Dam water.

The Civil Protection Unit has been giving each family at Chingwizi free monthly rations of mealie-meal, cooking oil, soap, beans, kapenta and this was expected to continue for 12 months. Each family also received a tent to set up a temporary shelter.

While initially the number of families relocated from the Tokwe-Mukosi flood basin was estimated to be around 3 100, it is believed the actual number of families at Chingwizi is now nearly 3 500.

This means that about 400 families might have hijacked the relocation exercise and went on to receive free food allocations, clothes, blankets and tents since February.

Some Government officials at Chingwizi last weekend told The Herald that the number of families at Chingwizi has inexplicably risen.

The officials said some villagers from surrounding areas in Mwenezi, Triangle and Chiredzi might have taken advantage of the relocation exercise and clandestinely moved into the holding camp.

Masvingo Provincial Affairs Minister Cde Kudakwashe Bhasikiti said villagers who got into Chingwizi camp by posing as flood victims would be prosecuted.

He said bona fide flood victims would soon receive acknowledgement of debt documents indicating compensation owed by Government.

Cde Bhasikiti said the amount would be based on the value of their homes and property as per evaluation done prior to their relocation.

He said villagers whose names do not appear on the official list of families displaced by Tokwe-Mukosi floods would have to explain how they got into Chingwizi camp.

“Everyone who got into Chingwizi camp through unscrupulous means will be treated as a criminal and will be liable to prosecution for receiving free food, clothes and other forms of aid fraudulently. We have records which prove who the bona fide flood victims are,” he said.

Cde Bhasikiti ruled out the possibility of some of the unscrupulous villagers getting irrigation plots.

“We do not arbitrarily allocate plots to the flood victims. We use our records and those whose names do not appear in the records will have to explain how they ended up in the camp,” he said.

Cde Bhasikiti said so far 806 families have been allocated permanent plots outside the holding camp.

Sources at Chingwizi said some of the pseudo flood victims recently unsuccessfully pushed for village head positions to be abolished at Chingwizi to make it difficult to trace their places of origins.

The chairman of the Tokwe-Mukosi relocation co-ordinating committee and Masvingo provincial administrator Mr Felix Chikovo confirmed the attempt by some camp dwellers to push out village heads but said Government quashed the move as traditional leaders play a key role in the identification of genuine flood victims.

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