mindpower

Seems to me that a big part of making the failed land reform program “irreversible” is to prevent those farms dished out to Mugabe’s cronies from being taken away from them.

Adam Mahommed

Prior to the land redistribution excercise (the so-called land grab), the vast majority of food in Zimbabwe was grown by subsistence farmers. White commercial farmers dominated tabacco and flowers. I find it extremely annoying the way the world’s press and blogs avoid this fact. There were two types of land redistribution: resettlement of peasants back to their original homelands that had been stolen by the colonial government, and commercial redistribution. In the commercial redistribution, applicants were obliged to forward a business development plan for eligibility for farms. The planning was sound. Un fortunately it was hijacked by several parties: greedy political heavy-weights, ill-disciplined thugs mascarading as war veterans, and white commercial farmers hell bent on sabotage. To date, everyone has lost. It is necessary to audit the system and stick to the original plan: no unproductive land; no multiple farms. It was not by mistake that Zimbabwe has had a strong agricultural sector. The government had created the atmosphere for it thrive. A multitude of agricutural colleges ensured an adequate supply of skilled workers. They are still there. One of the greatest results of the painfull period that Zimbabwe has gone through is that it will resurface will an empowered, educated, determined popultaion, unlike any on the continent, if not the entire thrid world.

adem Leese

What seized white farmers land?

If I were a white farmer in Zimbabwe, the first thing I would rightly do in the name of justice would be to take all my legal documents that prove my claim to the said seized farm and through the courts regain what is rightfully mine. Zimbabwe has a strong family line relationship that even with no documents, one could easily point out the native family from whose great grand father the Rhodie would have bought the farm or land from and the chiefs, thanks to Mugabe’s preservation of traditional values, would easily and in no time correct that. In the meantime, white **** should seize lamenting their loses to the rightful owners and please get this into your thick skulls, what these niggas do with their land is no white fools business. Is that hard to comprehend?

cecilia

Adam, I’m afraid you picked the wrong subject on which to pretend to be an authority. The GDP of Zimbabwe, until recent crazy, Mugabe-on-the-rampage times is made up of 75% agriculture and the rest industry, tourism, mining etc. Agriculture constituted 66% of the labour force. Now fast forward to today where less than 1% of this workforce is still employed. Commercial farming yields 4 to 5 times more per ha than subsistence (communal) farming as a result of better farming methods ie irrigation and better technical and management methods. From 1980 to 1998 commercial farmers produced between 2000 and 5000 per ha whilst communal farmers during the same period never produced in excess of 2000 kg per ha. In fact the average for the entire period was 1200 kg per ha. Commercial farmers in Zimbabwe account for less than 10% of arable corn area, but contributed 30 – 40% of all corn production in the country. In terms of wheat, tobacco, livestock and horticultural products they produce in excess of 90% of the country’s output. Now dear philosophical soul, you tell me what is more important? The colour of the skin of the farmers who fed the nation and employed more than half of the nation or the function which they very ably fulfilled?

Dominic J. Kanaventi

To me, the parties to the agreement were deliberately trying to avert the real situation: 1)ZANU PF’s rhetoric is that MDC wants to give the land already seized from former white owners back to the whites, and therefore the whites would be recolonizing Zimbabwe.
1)MDC does not want to be seen to be giving the land back to the former white farmers but in all fairness, wants to pursue the original land question by re-distributing the land per original post independence plans.
3)Here’s what they should do:
a) The land committee should investigate that those on the land have Title Deeds to that land. Those with title deeds should be encouraged to split that land with those who don’t have any, ensuring that the new owners will use the land efficiently.
b) Britain, the USA, and others in the international community should help fund the land re-distribution programs with particular emphasis on training, compensation for land seized, supply of inputs, impliments, equipment, etc, etc,
c) The land committee should go back to the willing buyer/willing seller basis.
d) New land-owners should be trained to commercial farming if they are to sustain the country and breing the country back to the breadbasket that it was.
e) Those on the land should be monitored to ensure proper usage of land, and those who receive farms for week-end status homes should be evicted.
I hope the politicians from the political tripartite agreement will read this in conjunction with their agreement document. Come on. Face the facts. Zimbabwe is hungry because those that were given the land were Bob’S cronies who hadn’t the fogiest idea about farming.

Adam Mahommed

I am highly amused about the period that is chosen as the starting point of land ownership. Regardless of how much the farmers that were evicted paid for their farms, they ultimately purchased styolen land. Quite frankly they should have been charged with possession of stolen property! I am pleased to hear that Italy is paying Libya US$5bn in compensation for its ocupation in the 1930s. If only the other former colonial powers could accept that colonisation is simply theft.

George

I am amused that people are complaining of their land being taken. Peoples land in most cases were handed over by their traditional leaders (read Jacob “Thint” Zuma to Colonialist (read Thint) for a shining mirror (read R500, 000 diary in maritius) while the ignoramus chiefs (read Vavi, Malema and Co) wait for their crumbs (read political posts).