Published by the government of Zimbabwe
Michael Padera
13 September 2008
Bulawayo — VICE President Joice Mujuru has urged traditional leaders to champion food production in their areas through programmes that promote self-sufficiency.
She said food self-sufficiency at household level translates to food sufficiency at national level.
In a speech read on her behalf by the Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development, Cde Ignatius Chombo, at the close of the annual chiefs' conference, Cde Mujuru said men should give their wives pieces of land to produce food crops such as groundnuts and small grains. She said women, by virtue of their role in the African family set-up, were more knowledgeable on the food needs of the family.
Cde Mujuru also said women play a critical role in the production and preparation of food in the home.
She said such a programme should be allowed to cascade from the chiefs' wives right down to the ordinary family.
"I would like to challenge you as our traditional leaders to introduce the Bindu raMai/insimu kaMama.
"Under this programme, women will be allocated at least a hectare where one and half hectares would be under grain and the other half for crops such groundnuts," she said.
She said traditional leaders who have received farm mechanisation equipment should also lead by example by producing enough food.
"We should defeat hunger. You as chiefs should also lead by example. You should encourage your people to produce," she said.
She said the chiefs should continue to champion the interests of the people and to speak on their behalf.
Cde Mujuru added that chiefs were able to effectively represent the people because of their closeness to the people and that Government respects the office of traditional leaders and would continue with programmes that enhance its status.
Meanwhile, the annual conference of traditional leaders ended here yesterday with the passing of a number of resolutions among them calls by chiefs that they should be issued with diplomatic passports to allow them easy travel.
Chief Serima from Gutu said it was high time traditional leaders were issued with diplomatic passports.
"We want to be issued with red passports," he said.
The chiefs also resolved that each chief should be given 200 litres of fuel every month to enable them to move in their areas and attend meetings.
The traditional leaders agreed that there should be a vehicle replacement policy that allows the chiefs to choose a new vehicle in the same manner Members of the House of Assembly and Senate do.
The chiefs, who are ex-officio members of local authorities by virtue of them being chiefs, want to have voting powers.
The conference agreed that biras (ritual ceremonies) where they pray for rain would be held before the end of November with each traditional leader co-ordinating activities in his own area.
It was also agreed that acting chiefs should access similar benefits as those available to substantive chiefs.
The conference resolved that the people should not buy mealie meal from millers but should be allowed to buy grain.
This resolution follows a realisation that some millers were abusing the facility by either inflating the price of maize meal or selling the commodity in foreign currency.
The chiefs said police should respect the authority of traditional leaders and should stop harassing them.
The conference agreed that some chieftainships that were made redundant during colonial times should be revived but that the process be done in a manner that does not upset the status quo.
Women's Affairs, Gender and Community Development Deputy Minister Cde Abigail Damasane urged the chiefs to discourage the practice of female genital mutilation and stop virginity tests among their people.
She also implored the chiefs to allow women to participate in decision making at community level.
The outgoing Deputy Minister of Local Government, Public Works and Urban Development Cde Morris Sakabuya said requests by traditional leaders to have a chiefs' commission should be pushed through parliament.
He said the ministry had pushed to have the chiefs' allowances pegged on the basic salary of teachers and to be reviewed each time civil servants salaries are increased.
His Minister, Cde Ignatius Chombo, said chiefs should not be used by politicians especially during primary elections where they are made to support one candidate at the expense of the other.
He thanked the chiefs for supporting Cde Mugabe during the presidential election run-off.
Cde Chombo said chiefs were not playing their part in food production because they were not encouraging their people to produce.
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