Bikita Residents At Risk Of Crocodile Attacks
http://news.radiovop.com

17/05/2010 14:13:00

Bikita, May 17, 2010 - Bikita residents are at risk of being attacked by
crocodiles after Zanu PF youth and boisterous war veterans here vandalised
and ransacked a crocodile breeding project run by lithium mining giant,
Bikita Minerals.

The war veterans accused mine manager, Nigel Macfail, of being sympathetic
to the Movement for Democratic Change (MDC-T) party under Prime Minister
Morgan Tsvangirai.

Mcfail was once abducted and beaten by Zanu (PF) youth who left him for dead
in the run up to the bloody June 27 run-off elections.

Villagers under Chief Marozva area told Radio VOP they were benefiting from
the Mine's crocodile project as many got
employment.

"For the past four months, our lives had changed because of this project by
Bikita Minerals. Then came the fighters of the liberation
struggle and some over zealous Border Gezi youth and destroyed everything.
They politicised everything. Now, we have no income and some of the
crocodiles have eaten our livestock," said Marvelous Rupiya, a villager.

Mcfail confirmed the project had been sabotaged but refused to shed more
details, referring all the questions to the mine's
company lawyer, Roderick Makause, of Chihambakwe, Makonese and partners.

"I know that the project has been abandoned...I do not know why, talk to the
mine," Provincial governor and resident Minister, Titus Maluleke said.