Chief Ndiweni of Ntabazinduna has threatened to take legal action against those involved in the parcelling out of community assets through selling or tendering processes.
Of late there has been a stampede for land in Ntabazinduna, which is on the outskirts of Bulawayo at the expense of locals.
In a strongly worded notice of opposition addressed to Matabeleland North Secretary for Provincial Affairs and Devolution, Sithandiwe Ncube, Umguza District Development Co-ordinator and Umguza Rural District Council Chief Ndiweni said Ntabazinduna property assets belong to people of Ntabazinduna.
The Community and people of Ntabazinduna, Chief Ndiweni said, built and own all of the properties and assets that to date Umguza Rural District Council has been managing.
He cited all the beer halls in Ntabazinduna including Mathilika and Macatshelena, bottle Stores, grinding mill council hall and schools.
“This document serves as a defence for any individual who entered into this illegal tender conducted by Umguza Rural District Council, to claim back their monies from
Umguza Rural District Council, should they have incurred a loss,” said the chief.
“Any individual that stubbornly ignores our rejection of this whole matter must be prepared to lose any and all investments they then proceed to sink into any of these properties. Ntabazinduna will be taking legal action against any person that ignores the communities’ position on this matter and then proceeds to sink labour, resources and monies into these properties and assets.
The chief accused the RDC of failing to manage community assets.
“For many, many years now we have watched with shock and horror at how Umguza Rural District Council has failed completely to run and manage our assets as a community,” lamented Chief Ndiweni.
“The people of Ntabazinduna built all of these properties and assets physically themselves. Some of the builders of these properties and assets are still alive and if needs be will testify in court to that effect. The community and people of Ntabazinduna paid for the construction of all of these properties and assets. Some still have evidence to that effect of payments made.
Most importantly all of these properties and assets sit on the Communal Lands of Ntabazinduna. Communal Land that is held in trust for “ ALL “ the people of Ntabazinduna In which the Traditional Leaders of Ntabazinduna, within the Traditional Leaders Act has prominence with respect to the issuing and use of all Land that falls under, their jurisdiction,which is Ntabazinduna Communal Lands.”
The Ntabazinduna community, the traditional leader said, has never received any income from its properties and assets.
“What Umguza Rural District Council is attempting to do is to completely asset strip-naked the people of Ntabazinduna and its people to the effect that as a people and community they and their parents did or achieved absolutely nothing at all in their lives,” decried the chief.”
