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Bubi Lupane Dam

Editor — The letter to the Editor by Martin Stobart published in “The Chronicle, July 18, 2018,” denigrating Lupane villagers cannot go unchallenged as it is riddled with innuendos and gross exaggerations.

The villagers that he condescendingly characterises as “rogue” and “manifestly criminal” have every right to negotiate with the Town Council and Kusile Rural District Council in furtherance for their rights that are constitutionally enshrined and guaranteed.

The writer may be blissfully ignorant of the fact that the dip tank not long ago was behind a place known as Downstore before being relocated to Shabulana area to pave way for the town.

He may also not be aware that during the severe 1991-1992 drought the villagers lost thousands of cattle and the few that survived depended on Phazi dam on the Bubi river due to the benevolence of the  Moyo family that allowed villagers access to the dam through their plot. This is a family that has done so much for Lupane and must be forever applauded.

The details are necessary to disabuse the world of the notion that Lupane villagers are uncultured and threatening anyone with axes. One would expect the writer to make a police report rather than resort to disparaging and unfounded half-truths on a global platform where the villagers have no opportunity to respond.

The only reason why cattle inevitably and unfortunately converge with the town relates to the location of the Lupane dam.
Lupane villagers are accomplished herdsmen who conquered the stubborn Zikukwa and cannot graze their cattle in town and expose them to plastics and other unhealthy filth of the town.

It is also very clear that in a calculated and deliberate endeavour to mislead the world, the writer chose to ignore that during this time of the year — ebusika nobody can “bring animals into town” because nobody is looking after animals during this period.

The dam also reduced the supply of water downstream such as after the confluence of Gwayi River and Bubi river — a place called eNhlangano. Therefore there is every reason to address the legitimate water needs of the villagers and their animals as the animals cannot die due to lack of water because someone has built a four-roomed house on the way to the watering hole.

He refers to “rural livestock” as if there is town livestock that speaks in English and lives in houses.

It is an established record that Lupane has been the major supplier of timber both locally and for exports. The allegation that villagers who for years have jealously guarded trees are now causing deforestation are sinister and ill-intentioned.

From Shabula to Shabulana, from Mqoqi to Mpofu and to every corner the villagers from time immemorial have a clean record of looking after the environment.

My family moved to Lupane from Bubi (Mbembesi) after the colonial regime deemed it inconceivable for us to be in fertile lands. That today, so many years after independence, a tone so intemperate and a language so foul is used to describe our parents as if they are criminals is unfortunate and unacceptable.

I suggest that the writer apologises to all the villagers that he painted as rogue and to the children that he portrayed as foul-mouthed.

The letter is not far from character defamation and malicious character assassination. The villagers in Lupane are pro-development and peace loving.

A problem needs cool heads rather than acerbic insults designed to cast aspersions on Lupane town Council and the Rural council and the entire Lupane community except those living in the so-called town where they are “residents”.

The writer could be trying to scare away potential investors from Lupane through using villagers as a scapegoat. He must apologise for tarnishing the image of the peace loving villagers, their innocent children and their thirsty livestock. Iqaqa alihlinzelwa ebandla.
S Ncube, Lupane