Where the power lies: multiple stakeholder politics over natural ...

Box 11. When data starts coming to you rather than you seeking it!
Barely a week and a half after I left the study site, many things have happened. I made a
technical appearance in the catchment on the 11 of November 2001. During my four-hour
stay in the community news had already started to flow to me from all directions. And
when I say ‘“news”’, I mean real news.
Our friend, the traditional leader for Chitsa village is in deep trouble. He was slapped slapped
with a fine of Z$10 000.00 by the headman on the 10 of November 2001. Everyone has
someone who creates problems for him or her. Our friend is being sued by the late Mhushu’s
daughter for having caused the breakup of her father’s marriage and causing divisions in
the family. Her father is the old man who hanged himself on a tree allegedly because some
local men including our dear friend were having extramarital relations with his “‘youthful”’
wife. People say the young wife was having affairs with the traditional leader, Gudo,
Zvenyika, and old man Mafukashe. So the grudge is deep rooted, one should have
exceptionally good ‘root cause analysis’ skills to understand the micro-politics taking place
here. Anyway, the daughter suspects that her father was hung by one of her step mother’s
lovers. She took her suspicions to the headmen. I am told she got the backing of the councilor
for ward 25. The two are distant relations but as you know, in times of conflict even template
relations mutate to be genuine ones. Among other issues she raised, were the burning of the
homestead soon after the burial of Mhushu, unclear circumstances surrounding her father’s
death; “strange circumstances” surrounding his expulsion from our friend’s village. Who
said leaders are immune to prosecution while they are still in office?
So at the headman’s court, after long deliberations, our friend was found guilty and fined
Z$10 000 for behaving in a manner unbecoming for a traditional leader. In the traditional
leadership structure, the headman is senior to the traditional leader and controls a number
of local leaders called Kraalheads. From my very credible sources our friend protested when
the fine was handed to him but latter gave in. Astute pleading skills by some elderly men at
the dare (court) saw the fine being reduced slightly to Z$7000. This is still a lot of money
for someone of his low socio- economic status, not withstanding the prevailing economic
hardships. I think it was a bitter pill for him to swallow. Most likely in his entire “‘career”’ as
a traditional leader all the fines he has imposed on offenders do not collectively add up to
that figure; a figure he was asked to pay as a fine for only one crime! The same sources tell
me the daughter was very eloquent and articulate in the way she presented her case. She had
records of all discussions with our friend.
One more story about our dear friend. It turns out while he was messing around with the late
Mhushu’s daughter, his own wife was messing around with his brother. For him it never
rains but pours. The affair came to light because our friend’s wife caught a venereal disease
and had to confess. The illness was traced to the brother. The case was reported to the police
and headman. The police came and recovered some disused veterinary needles, which the
brother used when he pretended to be vaccinating his partners against venereal disease. It
turns out, the brother had relations with many other women. Now the our friend and these
other men want him prosecuted. The headman refused to consider the case and said it was a
family affair. Now everyone is considering the complications of this new development. It
will definitely change the politics of the project for a while. (Romwe Notes 11-11-2001).
US$1 = Z$55 (official rate): (Real value on the alternative market was Z$300 = US$1 at the time
of the study) in 2000.
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