The ZIMBABWE Situation Our thoughts and prayers are with Zimbabwe
- may peace, truth and justice prevail.
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U N I T E D  N A T I O N S
Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA)
Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN)

ZIMBABWE: Land reform omits farm workers

[This article is one of a series of reports that comprise a new Web Special on land reform in Southern Africa. See web special at http://www.irinnews.org/webspecials/landreformsa/]



JOHANNESBURG, 4 July (IRIN) - Historically marginalised, Zimbabwe's commercial farm workers complain that they have again been disadvantaged by the country's land reform programme.

Variously known as the Third Chimurenga (liberation struggle) or "jambanja" (direct action), the government's fast-track programme was launched in 2000 with the stated objective of finally correcting the historical imbalance in land ownership. It has involved the acquisition of 11 million hectares from white landowners (an estimated 90 percent of the commercial farmers) for redistribution to an estimated 300,000 new settlers and about 30,000 black commercial farmers.

"Because the fortunes of the workers were intimately tied up with those of their 'white bosses', they bore the brunt of the consequences of the acquisition of white-owned farms," said a report prepared for a farm workers' NGO, the Farm Community Trust of Zimbabwe (FCTZ).

Prior to land reform, an estimated 320,000 to 350,000 farm workers were employed on commercial farms owned by about 4,500 white farmers. Their dependents numbered around 2 million - more than 20 percent of the national population. By the beginning of 2003, only about 100,000 farm workers were still employed on the farms, the report estimated.

"What has happened is that two-thirds of the original number have lost their jobs and are really living from hand to mouth," Lloyd Sachokonye, the author of the report, told IRIN. "There doesn't appear to be a programme to address this insecurity, this deterioration in their conditions."

Not only are they jobless, in many cases it has also meant they have lost their entitlement to housing on the farms, basic social services and subsidised food. Those who have not left for urban centres have been forced to subsist through gold panning or piece work on the newly settled farms. But two consecutive years of drought, and the reduced output of the new settlers, has meant their food security has been precarious.

The humanitarian community has been concerned over the plight of the farm labourers, but has had only limited access. "There are still difficulties in accessing the former commercial farming areas, and so we still cannot be sure of the extent of vulnerability among either the former farm workers or the newly resettled small-scale farmers," UN Humanitarian Coordinator J. Victor Angelo told IRIN in early June.

Farm workers have historically been an "invisible" class in Zimbabwe. Post-independence literature stressed the low wages, poor housing and "quasi-feudal and paternalistic relationships" between landowners and farm labourers. Jambanja coincided with President Robert Mugabe's defeat in a referendum on constitutional reform, and the rise of the opposition Movement for Democratic Change, publically backed by white farmers. Only a small percentage of farm workers were awarded plots by the government under the fast-track programme.

"Farm invasions sought to discourage political participation by farm workers. They were subjected to intimidation and violence, and were deliberately marginalised as a group in land resettlement," the FCTZ report said.

Originally from Mozambique or Malawi, even though the majority of farm workers have been in the country for three generations they are generally regarded as non-Zimbabweans. Their labour union has had difficulty in organising its members, who are isolated on the farms and spread across the country.

"There has been a strain of xenophobia from among the politicians," suggested Sachikonye. "The powerlessness of the farm workers meant that the calculation was that, when it came to the crunch, their response would not be significant."

Only about a quarter of farm workers received severance packages from the commercial land owners, which did not stretch very far. "After a week it was back to us looking for food, looking for jobs," Gift Muti of the General Agricultural and Plantation Workers' Union told IRIN. Women, who were usually contracted on a seasonal basis without full benefits, often missed out on the packages altogether.

According to the FCTZ report, up to 50 percent of farm workers stayed on the farms, even after losing their jobs, resulting in a rise in squatter camps. Coping strategies have included the search for piece-work on other farms, but income is irregular and limited. With the closure of farm schools, there has also been an increase in child labour.

Muti said the relationship between the workers who stayed, and the new settlers (who are themselves poor), has varied. Some of the settlers have tried to be fair, others have been exploitative, demanding labour but refusing to pay the minimum wage, or charging extortionate rates for rent and utilities.

"From time to time there are reports of conflict over housing or strips of land - it's a fairly fluid situation - but one doesn't get the sense that it's worsened, so there is a possibility of some kind of mutual understanding," Sachikonye noted.

Farm workers have called for a humanitarian food aid intervention programme, and a recognised stake in land reform from the government.

"We are not against the land reform programme. We are advocating for workers to be given first preference, considering the skills we have acquired over the years," Muti said.


[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003

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ZIMBABWE: Feature - Wheat shortages to continue

[This report does not necessarily reflect the views of the United Nations]


JOHANNESBURG, 4 July (IRIN) - Shortages of wheat are set to continue in Zimbabwe as preparations for the 2003-2004 planting season have been described by agricultural experts as largely inadequate.

The shortages have so far affected millers and bakeries with adverse consequences on food security and employment. Low harvests from the 2002-3 crop have also led to serious bread shortages and a price hike of the commodity.

Experts say that only 80,000 mt of wheat will be produced this year, compared to 130 mt in 2002. To encourage wheat growing the government has increased the producer price from Zim $70,000 (US $85) to Zim $150,000 (US $182) a tonne.

Farmers, however, say the cost of inputs are still not matched by the recently announced prices.

This year shortages of fuel and fertiliser has meant that fewer fields have been planted. Those that can afford it have been forced to turn to the parallel-market.

A spokesperson for the Zimbabwe Farmers Union told IRIN that the Ministry of Energy had supplied farmers with fuel but the rations were not enough.

Former managing director of the state-run Grain Marketing Board (GMB) and opposition MP, Renson Gasela, said the problems facing wheat farmers cannot be seen in isolation. "We have to look at the fuel problems, the power shortages and how the economy is performing in order to find solutions to the wheat shortages," he told IRIN.

Hardest hit was the irrigated crop, which requires electric power to run the pumps. In April, an economist at the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU), Kuda Ndoro, said only a quarter of the irrigated wheat crop had been planted due to power shortages.

"At the moment industry, including the agriculture sector. is operating at only 30 percent of capacity because the Zimbabwe Electricity Supply Authority is unable to meet power demands. There is no power for irrigation on the farms. If nothing is done to augment supply this will affect the performance of the winter cereals," Ndoro said.

Away from the fields, bread shortages continue in most of Zimbabwe's cities and towns.

Until last month when bakers unilaterally increased the price of bread without the consent of the government, bread was found mainly on the parallel market at almost twice the government gazetted price.

In May the government pegged the price of a loaf at Zim $250. This is a far cry from the Zim $350 to Zim $500 that is charged on the parallel market.

The Consumer Council of Zimbabwe has since January 2003 been urging Zimbabweans to boycott bread which it says is being overcharged by bakers. The Council suggested Zimbabweans consider options such as sweet potatoes.

Such a call, however, would have done little to avert the job losses facing thousands in the industry. Tuckshop owners in  Harare's high-density suburbs, who rely mostly on selling bread, said business was poor and many had contemplated closing down.

Bezel Gandiwa owns a tuckshop in Harare's high-density suburb of Mbare.

"The supply of bread has been very erratic. In some cases we have gone for a week without receiving any bread at all," Bezel said.

Wheat is the second most important cereal crop consumed in Zimbabwe after maize. The shortages forced the GMB in May to import 62,000 mt at a cost of Zim $15 billion (US $18.9 million), and has made a request for foreign currency to the Reserve Bank to purchase a further 100,000 mt of wheat from Brazil. To cover needs, the import bill could climb to US $55.2 million.

But many small-scale bakeries have closed shop already, complaining that they cannot access enough supplies. Large milling and baking companies are equally feeling the pinch with the GMB only supplying a maximum of 6,000 mt per week to Zimbabwe's three big milling companies.

Although the government latest economic revival initiative, the National Economic Revival Programme has agriculture as
its foundation, farmers say it will not work as long as fuel and foreign currency shortages persist.

[ENDS]

IRIN-SA
Tel: +27 11 880-4633
Fax: +27 11 447-5472
Email: IRIN-SA@irin.org.za

[This Item is Delivered to the "Africa-English" Service of the UN's IRIN
humanitarian information unit, but may not necessarily reflect the views
of the United Nations. For further information, free subscriptions, or
to change your keywords, contact e-mail: IRIN@ocha.unon.org or Web:
http://www.irinnews.org . If you re-print, copy, archive or re-post
this item, please retain this credit and disclaimer. Reposting by commercial
sites requires written IRIN permission.]

Copyright (c) UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs 2003
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News24



Mugabe victory faces challenge
04/07/2003 16:01  - (SA)


Harare - Lawyers for Zimbabwe opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai applied on
Thursday to have a petition heard challenging President Robert Mugabe's
victory in last year's election.

South African-based lawyer Jeremy Gauntlet, heading a team of lawyers
representing Tsvangirai, said he was seeking a "simple directive" from Judge
Benjamin Hlatshwayo to set a date for the matter to be heard.

The opposition, along with most Western observers, condemned last year's
presidential election as flawed.

They said it had been marred by political violence and intimidation, aimed
mainly at supporters of Tsvangirai's Movement for Democratic Change.

The Commonwealth, a 54-member grouping of former British colonies, suspended
Zimbabwe after an adverse report on the poll by its election observers.

Mugabe opposed application

Gauntlet said on Thursday that justice was being denied to his client, who
lost to Mugabe in the poll by 400 000 votes, because he was not being given
a chance to meet his opponents in court.

"To delay access is to assure the consequence that justice delayed is
justice denied," Gauntlet told the judge at a hearing held in chambers at
Harare high court.

Mugabe's lawyer, Terrence Hussein, opposed the application, saying there
were still outstanding matters to be cleared up before the petition could
begin.

He said Tsvangirai was claiming prejudice only because he believed he should
be president.

"That's the reason why he (Tsvangirai) wants this matter heard urgently. He
wants to be in State House (Mugabe's official residence)," said Hussein.

The judge said he would decide on the matter as soon as possible.

In April last year, the MDC filed its petition to challenge Mugabe's victory
in the poll the previous month.
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Business Day

MDC wins election petition

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HARARE - A judge in Zimbabwe ordered the high court on Friday to set a date
for hearing an opposition petition challenging President Robert Mugabe's
victory in polls last year, a lawyer told AFP.
The order was made after lawyers representing Movement for Democratic Change
(MDC) leader Morgan Tsvangirai made an urgent application on Thursday for a
date to be set.

They said the 15-month delay in setting a date for the petition, which was
filed in April 2002, was highly prejudicial to their client.

"The judge has given an order as we sought directing the (high court)
registrar to set down a date for the election petition to be heard," said
Adrian de Bourbon, one of Tsvangirai's lawyers.

De Bourbon said the date for the hearing would have to be announced within
five to seven working days.

The MDC rejected Mugabe's victory in the presidential election held in March
last year, saying the polls were marred by violence, intimidation and vote
rigging.

Most Western observer groups condemned the poll as flawed, and the
Commonwealth, a 54-member grouping of former British colonies, suspended
Zimbabwe following an adverse report on the poll by its election observers.

On Thursday, Mugabe's lawyer Terrence Hussein opposed the MDC leader's
application on the grounds that there were still outstanding matters to be
cleared up before the petition could begin.

AFP
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AMPLE



      (AFX-Focus) 2003-07-04 19:25 GMT: Bush calls for fresh elections in
Zimbabwe
      JOHANNESBURG (AFX) - US president George Bush called today for South
African President Thabo Mbeki to insist on the holding of fresh elections in
neighbouring Zimbabwe, beset by political and economic turmoil.
      In an interview with SABC television filmed at the White House today
and broadcast in South Africa in the evening, interviewer Simon Marks asked
Bush what more he would like to see Mbeki do on Zimbabwe.

      "Insist that there be elections. Insist that democracy rule. Insist
that the conditions necessary for that country to become prosperous again
are in place," replied the president, who will visit Senegal, South Africa,
Botswana, Uganda and Nigeria during a July 7-12 tour of Africa.

      Bush said he agreed with US Secretary of State Colin Powell, who
called last month for Zimbabwe's neighbours to play a "stronger and more
sustained role", to resolve the crisis and said the time "has come and gone"
for President Robert Mugabe and his cronies.

      Mugabe, who has ruled Zimbabwe since independence from Britain in
1980, was re-elected in March last year in voting condemned by most western
observers as rigged and marred by violence.

      Mbeki's policy toward Zimbabwe has been one of "quiet diplomacy"
behind the scenes in a bid to reconcile the government and the opposition
Movement for Democratic Change.
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Sydney Morning Herald

Different styles may mean a tough week for Mbeki
By Geoff Hill in Johannesburg
July 5 2003





Tough talk from Washington ahead of a visit to Africa by President George
Bush in the coming week is creating problems for South Africa's President
Thabo Mbeki, whose refusal to speak out on Zimbabwe and other regional
crises stands in sharp contrast.

Last week Mr Bush called for Liberia's President Charles Taylor to resign,
and for the establishment of an interim authority in the Democratic Republic
of Congo, where millions have died in a long-running civil war.

Mr Bush also criticised the Zimbabwean Government of Robert Mugabe, which
the US, Britain, Australia and other Western powers have refused to
recognise after elections last year were widely criticised as flawed.

Also last week, the US Secretary of State, Colin Powell, described Mr Mugabe
as a tyrant and called on neighbouring South Africa to adopt a tougher
stance on Zimbabwe.

On Monday it was announced that Mr Powell would accompany Mr Bush to South
Africa.


This week Mr Mbeki made clear that his country would maintain its policy of
quiet diplomacy towards Harare.

A source in Mr Mbeki's ruling African National Congress told the Herald that
the Government was deeply divided about Mr Powell's remarks as well as Mr
Bush's visit, the second to sub-Saharan Africa by a US president in office.
Bill Clinton was the first.

"This is going to be a tough week for Mbeki," the source said. "He will have
to smile and will no doubt be delighted to be seen hosting the world's most
powerful leader, but, behind the scenes, he will need to work hard to hold
his party, and even his close supporters, together."

"The South Africans see this continent as their own domain, and the comments
by Bush and Powell, calling so directly for change in Liberia, Congo and
Zimbabwe, have shocked a lot of people who fear that their own refusal to
take tough action on thorny issues, especially Zimbabwe, has created a
vacuum, which other countries, like the US, are moving to fill."

South Africa came out strongly against the US-led invasion of Iraq, and
recent talk about intervention in Liberia is expected to cause concern in
Pretoria.

An anti-war coalition of 300 groups has applied to the South African police
for permission to mount nationwide protests when Mr Bush arrives on Tuesday.

Mr Bush's comment that in Zimbabwe "the freedom and dignity of the nation is
under assault" is likely to cause the most difficulty in meetings with Mr
Mbeki, who has refused to criticise Mr Mugabe publicly.

The United Nations estimates that 70per cent of Zimbabwe's 12million people
live in conditions of famine and that more than 2million black Zimbabweans
have sought refuge in South Africa.

Despite several South African attempts to encourage Mr Mugabe, 79, to step
down or negotiate with the opposition, there has been little progress.

In contrast to South Africa's position, the governments of Uganda, Botswana
and Senegal - also on Mr Bush's itinerary - have made clear they do not
support Mr Mugabe or his policies.

Washington has indicated it might underwrite substantial aid for Zimbabwe if
Mr Mugabe allows internationally supervised elections in which he is not a
candidate. But the only South African response to the idea came from the
Deputy Foreign Minister, Aziz Pahad, who told a local newspaper: "We would
like to discuss this with the US and find out what they mean."

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Hoovers

Zimbabwe govt funds bank to finance farming

July 4, 2003 2:17am


Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - The Zimbabwe government on Thursday injected a
whopping ZWD 64 billion (ZWD 824 =3D 1 USD) into a state-owned bank to
finance black farmers resettled under its controversial land reforms.

The Harare authorities have seized thousands of commercial farms since 2000
from white farmers to resettle land-less peasants to economically empower
them.

The money, which will be lent at concessional interest rates, was handed to
the Agricultural Development Bank of Zimbabwe, which is pioneering financing
schemes for newly resettled peasants.

The government has targeted agricultural development as a top economic
priority, but recurrent drought and lack of funding has curtailed production
in recent years.

ADBZ managing director Taka Mutunhu said the new funds would be used for
agricultural equipment, inputs and working capital for resettled farmers.

"The bank's clientele, both new and old, are assured that we will continue
to provide an efficient service as in the past because we remain strong and
poised for growth," he said.

Publication: Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire
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Hoovers

Zimbabwe farmers withhold tobacco from market

July 4, 2003 2:17am


Harare, Zimbabwe (PANA) - Tobacco farmers in Zimbabwe are increasingly
withholding their crop from auction floors to demand a devaluation of the
local currency, an industry official said Thursday.

Rodney Ambros, an executive of the Zimbabwe Tobacco Association (ZTA) which
groups growers, told PANA deliveries of the crop to auction floors had
fallen from an average of one million kg daily to around 700,000-800,000 kg
due to withholding by farmers.

He said farmers, faced with rising production costs, were pressing the
government for a devaluation of the Zimbabwean Dollar to ensure viability in
the industry, the country's biggest export sector.

"Farmers are not happy with the exchange rate of ZWD824 to the US dollar,
and want this increased to about ZWD1600 to the dollar," said Ambros.

"Inflation (over 300 percent) has pushed up production costs, and most
farmers obtained their inputs on the parallel market at exchange rates of up
to ZWD2,500 to 1USD," he said.

Ambros conceded that the government, which was forced by farmers and mining
companies to devalue the dollar from ZWD55 to the current exchange rate of
ZWD824 to the greenback less than a year ago, was unlikely to give in to
fresh demands for devaluation.

He said farmers were hoping the authorities could be arm-twisted, at the
least, to agree to a subsidy if talks on devaluation fail.

Tobacco is Zimbabwe's biggest export, and this year the country expects to
market 100 million kg of the crop.

Meanwhile, tobacco prices on the country's auction floors are firming, due
to increased international demand and good quality.

Tobacco Industry Marketing Board general manager Stanley Mutepfa told PANA
prices had firmed from 1.90 US dollar per kg last week, to 2.35 dollars a kg
on Monday this week.

Zimbabwe is the world's third biggest tobacco producer after Brazil and
China, but output is dropping after most commercial farmers were driven off
their farms by the government.

Publication: Panafrican News Agency (PANA) Daily Newswire
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From ZWNEWS, 4 July

Don't panic...

Chinondidyachii Mararike, Zanu PF apologist and regular columnist for the state-owned press, found a bomb in his front garden on the weekend, the Herald reported yesterday. Without quite saying so, the Herald implied that there were political motives behind the find. "He is outspoken in his political views and makes clear his support for Zimbabwe’s land reform programme and of President Mugabe’s anti-imperialist stance," said the Herald. "He has since written to the police demanding an assurance about his safety and that of his family. He also sought an explanation on how such a lethal weapon came to be in his garden." Mr Mararike, who lives in Doncaster in South Yorkshire, said the bomb disposal team had told him that the bomb was big enough to destroy five houses - had it exploded. And the police were not forthcoming with details, adding to the air of conspiracy. "South Yorkshire police, who disposed the bomb (sic), refused to shed details," complained the Herald indignantly. "'It’s not information we can give out to people we do not know,' said a police officer in a telephone interview. 'We do not know you and we are not sure that you are actually a journalist.'"

A spokesperson for the South Yorkshire Constabulary could not have been more helpful to ZWNEWS yesterday. "We have no record of having received an enquiry from a reporter at the Herald. And I do not believe anyone in our press office would speak to any member of the public in that manner. I can confirm that a bomb disposal team was called to an address in Crooks Road, Doncaster at 6:20 last Saturday. A cylinder, 35 cm long and 10 cm in diameter, was removed from that address. The bomb disposal officers were unable to determine whether it was primed or not, so it was taken to open ground where it was destroyed in a controlled explosion." Mr Mararike can now rest easier in his bed. It turns out that the ordnance he unearthed in his garden was of Second World War vintage, and may have been dropped on Doncaster by the Luftwaffe.

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