ZFTU Disowns Chinotimba

Notorious Zanu PF Commander of Farm Invasions Joseph Chinotimba
BY KHOLWANI NYATHI
The Zimbabwe Standard
THE Zimbabwe Federation of Trade Unions (ZFTU) has distanced itself from controversial war veterans’ leader Joseph Chinotimba who is reportedly leading a fresh wave of farm invasions that are threatening the viability of the inclusive government.

Chinotimba and a group of militants claiming to be ZFTU officials are allegedly... extorting money especially from commercial farmers in Chegutu who have been forced off their land on the pretext that it is compensation for the thousands of farm workers being rendered jobless throughout the country.

Farmers’ unions say Zanu PF loyalists and top civil servants have occupied at least 100 farms since President Robert Mugabe entered into a unity government with the two Movement for Democratic Change (MDC) formations last month.

Last week, Chinotimba who was also in the forefront of the 2000 land invasions that ruined the country’s agriculture-based economy, said he had only moved in to ensure that the long suffering farm workers were not abandoned by their former employers.

But the Zanu PF-aligned ZFTU has come out fighting accusing Chinotimba of being an imposter out to tarnish the union’s image.

“ZFTU has nothing against or neither are we involved with the so-called fresh farm invasions as this is two worlds apart from our core-business as a labour centre in Zimbabwe,” said Kennias Shamuyarira, the union’s secretary general.

“The so-called officials masquerading and purporting to be coming from ZFTU are not at all our officials neither are they from any of our affiliate unions.”

Shamuyarira claimed that Chinotimba was expelled from the ZFTU in 2006.

He said the fact that the losing Zanu PF candidate for Buhera South had also left his job as a security guard disqualified him from being a union member or official.

“Joseph Chinotimba is the leader of the Zimbabwe War Veterans Association where he is the vice chairman,” Shamuyarira said.

“He is also an established employer and businessman who cannot by any means lead a trade union or labour center in terms of the Labour Act.”

The union advised farmers who had fallen victim to Chinotimba and his group to approach its headquarters for assistance.

An angry Chinotimba immediately hit back charging that he was still a bona-fide ZFTU official and was doing his job to assist union members.

“That is total madness,” he said. “I am still the vice president and if they are saying I was dismissed then they should serve me with a dismissal letter.

“Of course there were attempts to oust me but the issue was resolved almost two years back so that person is talking rubbish.”

Donors have warned that the inclusive government might fail to get the financial assistance it desperately needs if the invasions do not stop.