OPPOSITION Citizens Coalition for Change (CCC) leader Nelson Chamisa yesterday lashed out at President Emmerson Mnangagwa for allowing the displacement of hundreds of families in Chipinge by businesses.

Hundreds of villagers in Chipinge had their land seized and handed over to businessman Billy Rautenbach’s  Green Fuels to pave way for the ethanol project. 

Chamisa told hundreds of CCC supporters at Chipinge’s Kondo business centre that the displacements mirrored the ill-treatment of indigenous people by Ian Smith’s colonial regime.

“The Smith regime used to seize land and give it to white settler farmers,” Chamisa said.

“Mnangagwa is doing the same, he is even worse because he is displacing his own people for Billy.

“During the time of Smith the roads here were tarred, now they are like sweet potato fields.

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“We all know that during that time Chipinge was a leader in fruit exports, a plane would land here weekly to fly produce for export markets and bring in foreign currency, now everything is looted.”

Chamisa also accused Mnangagwa of abusing the name of the late nationalist Ndabaningi Sithole by posthumously declaring him a national hero last month.

Sithole died in 2000.

He was dislodged as Zanu leader in place of the late Robert Mugabe in 1975.

Sithole, a founding chairman of Zanu was expelled from the party and he went on to form Zanu-Ndonga.

“They hounded him in his life, they took his farm away and on death they scorned him,” Chamisa said.

“Now they want to pretend to respect him by giving a dubious honour. Do not be fooled.”

The CCC leader maintained that he was confident of winning against Mnangagwa in next year’s elections.

“They have stolen elections before, not anymore, this time the results will be announced while I am at State House,” he said.

“If he attempts to steal, I will already have entered.

“Let’s go and vote in our numbers. If the margin is big we will beat the rigging.”