Published: 2 hours ago

The late national hero and former Midlands Governor, Cephas Msipa, has been remembered as a man of integrity, humility, and fairness - values that guided his leadership and personal life. It has emerged that during the land reform programme, Msipa personally compensated a white farmer for the land he occupied, underscoring his deep sense of justice.

Speaking at Msipa's memorial service held at Cecil John Rhodes Primary School grounds in Gweru, Midlands Provincial Affairs Minister Jason Machaya said the late statesman exemplified honesty and fairness in all his dealings.

Machaya revealed that Msipa took over Cheshire Farm, a 2,100-hectare commercial dairy property situated 10 kilometres outside Gweru along Matobo Road, from farmer Graham Ingle in 2005. The farm also produced flowers and passion fruit for export.

"At first, Msipa owned a small farm in Zvishavane, and it was the Zanu PF leadership in the province that persuaded him to acquire a better farm closer to Gweru," Machaya said.

"He initially refused, saying he was content with his small piece of land and did not want to appear greedy. When he finally agreed, he later called me to say he wanted to compensate the farm owner."

According to Machaya, Msipa went on to enter into an agreement with Ingle and secured a bank loan, which he used to compensate the farmer for the property.

Demonstrating his continued commitment to education and empowerment, Msipa later applied to the Ministry of Local Government for permission to sub-divide part of Cheshire Farm into residential stands. The proceeds were used to support the CG Msipa Scholarship Trust, which provides financial assistance to disadvantaged students.

"When the number of students under the scholarship increased, he said he could not turn anyone away. He didn't want to overburden sponsors like Unki and Mimosa mines, so he decided to sell part of his land. Every cent from that project went directly to the scholarship fund," Machaya said.

Msipa's commitment to fairness extended beyond his personal dealings. In December 2013, during a visit by then Agriculture Deputy Minister Paddy Zhanda, he defended his decision to allow productive white dairy farmers to remain in the province.

"It is in the national interest that these dairy farmers remain on their farms. We don't have to import milk when we have people who are productive. It does not matter whether one is white or black; what we want is development," Msipa said at the time.

Msipa, who passed away in 2016, continues to be celebrated as a principled leader who placed the nation's progress and the welfare of others above personal gain.
- Newsday