Police in Zaka are looking for thieves who pounced at Chinorumba High School in Zaka and harvested approximately 500kgs of fish from the school fish pond.
The fish were part of the Presidential Fish scheme and the school benefited from the program earlier last year (2023) as part of the preparations for hosting one of the most subscribed Zanu PF rallies in the run-up to the 2023 harmonized elections.
The fish were donated to the school through the presidential fish scheme where schools and communities with fish ponds are getting fingerlings from the government.
School head Nixon Bhenyu confirmed the incident but could not shed more light on how it happened and referred all questions to the District Schools Inspector (DSI) Samson Chidzurira.
Chidzurira confirmed having received the report from the school and said he was told that around 500kgs of fish were stolen and a police report was made.
“I don’t have intricate details of what happened but the school head informed me of the incident and the matter has since been reported to the police,” said Chidzurira.
Commenting on the matter in Zaka Development WhatsApp platform, Zaka Central legislator and Deputy Minister of Lands, Agriculture, Fisheries, Water and Rural Development Davis Marapira said it was disheartening that there were still people who were against development.
He also said there was need for people to put security measures on important projects like that to avoid cases of theft.
“I am sorry for the loss and this tells me that we still have people in ward 13 who are against the President’s ideas of building the country through development. However, it is also important for people to make sure they put security measures in place when we get these projects.
“Everywhere where there are important projects even at our solarized boreholes or gardens we should have security,” wrote Marapira.
He went on to pledge to replace the stolen fish with double the amount, and assured people that the perpetrators were going to be apprehended and brought to book.
“The President’s projects cannot be stopped by people who are anti-development, the thieves will be apprehended in no time. I will bring 4000 to replace the 2000 which were stolen,” Marapira wrote.
In July 2021, a fish farmer from Chinorumba area in Muhope Village under Chief Nhema was left counting losses when he lost close to 2000 breams to thieves whom he suspected to have used nets to harvest from his fish pond.
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