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Luthando Mapepa Chipinge Correspondent
ZANU-PF Manicaland provincial Youth League is in the process of submitting petitions to all district administrators and land committees in the province demanding a fair and equal distribution of land.

The youths argue that they were being marginalised in the distribution of land, despite playing a big role in repossessing former white owned farms and availing them to newly resettled farmers.

President Mugabe is on record saying that the remaining land after the land reform programme should be distributed to all landless youths in the country.

In an interview yesterday, Manicaland provincial youth chairperson, Cde Mubuso Chinguno, said youths had lost patience with their leadership due to the slow process of land redistribution in Manicaland.

Cde Chinguno said the provincial youth league had already identified land set to be distributed to youths and they would forward it to all land committees in the province.

“Youths are running out of patience on the redistribution of land, hence we are giving an ultimatum to the responsible authorities to implement our demands.

“President Mugabe has clearly said all youths should be prioritised in parcelling out of the remaining land,” said Cde Chinguno. He added that youths would not go to this year’s conference before they get land.

“For five years now, youths were being told at the conference that the remaining land should be allocated to them, but no single youth has been allocated the land,” Cde Chinguno observed.

“As leadership, we are under pressure from youths and it is our duty to make sure that resolutions made are implemented.
“It is time to walk the talk. The honeymoon is over. We would rather rot in prison for taking our land and if nothing is done we will go to the areas we have identified and take over the land.

“We have been marginalised since the land redistribution exercise started, despite playing a key role in the fast track land resettlement programme when it started,” he said. Cde Chinguno castigated some big wigs in the province, whom he said were protecting the remaining white owned farms from redistribution.

“As youths we are aware of some rogue elements in the province, who are receiving brown envelopes from companies and white farmers to stop the redistribution of land and we are saying this should stop,” said Cde Chinguno. He went on warn some politicians over stifling the downsizing process of farms even if some farmers are not fully utilising the land.

“All top officials should be patriotic and handover excess land to the landless. What is painful is that there is no production by those with abundant land.

“As youths, we are saying there is no excuse for not utilising land as there is a progressive Command Agriculture Programme.

“We are saying these people are sabotaging the land reform programme and we are challenging those blocking the downsizing programme to stop it,” he said.