Source: ‘Mugabe’s fast-track land reform a great mistake’ – NewsDay Zimbabwe February 6, 2018
AGRICULTURAL and Rural Development Authority (Arda) board chairman, Basil Nyabadza, has described former President Robert Mugabe’s fast-track land reform programme as a “great mistake” which drove away the country’s hardworking white commercial farmers and crippled the agricultural sector.
BY CLAYTON MASEKESA
Nyabadza told NewsDay last week that President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s government had introduced policies to lure back the farmers, most of them in Australia, South Africa, Zambia and Mozambique.
“Those must be persuaded back and work with the new government to bring meaningful economic recovery.
“We have a lot of capital resources dotted around the world, including Australia, and we are saying all of them must come back and start the agricultural business on a fresh page,” Nyabadza said, denouncing the fast-track land.
“Clearly, the formulas deployed then left a lot of bad feeling. And more importantly, the intellectual property left our borders,” said Nyabadza.
“As stakeholders, we now need a broad-based approach and our message to exiled farmers is clear: Come home.” He added that he recently teamed up with Manicaland Provincial Affairs minister Monica Mutsvangwa and toured Mozambique’s thriving Vanduzi horticultural farm, run by former Kondozi Farm owner, Piet de Klerk.
Nyabadza said Vanduzi had transformed into a major horticultural producer whose products have found their way into many regional and international markets, including Zimbabwe, since its takeover by de Klerk.
Kondozi Farm, which used to be the bedrock of Zimbabwe’s horticulture programmes, has now been stripped of its assets and reduced into a pale shadow of its former self following its takeover by Zanu PF chefs in April 2004.
Mnangagwa’s administration, which came into power in November last year, has now started reversing some of Mugabe’s ruinous policies. The new government recently started issuing 99-year land leases to both white and indigenous commercial farmers in an effort to kick-start the sector and resuscitate the country’s regional breadbasket status.
COMMENTS
Comrade Fatso would say “Pfutsek”. You were complicit as it happened and now want to appear holier than thou
So now Zanu wants the people that they beat and tortured to come back and fix that which Zanu stole and destroyed? Then – once repaired Zanu will do it all again!
Rob me once shame on you, Rob me twice shame on me.
The commercial farmers should be promised and given an amount equivalent to value of their farms at the time they were confiscated, in US$ to come back / stay and develop the agricultural industry for the new government.
A 99-year lease is really acknowledging that they have right to the land which they had title to previously in any event. They need financial support, and lots of it, to invest in replacement equipment, machinery and dams/irrigation systems.
If the tribal chiefs can be given expensive new vehicles, so too can the commercial farmers, if the government is earnest in its intent to make amends for past failures and racial discrimination against this once incredibly productive sector of the country’s economy.
Perhaps the powers that be should redirect a substantial portion of Mugabe’s triple platinum handshake for stepping down, to the farmers???
Nyabadza you were one of the worst instigators of farm theft.GET LOST.
What an absolute disgrace the theft of Kondozi was. It had taken decades to build that place and a year to totally destroy it by the evil ZANU persona.
The formula is simple just add some light skinned citizens into all the systems. Nations around the world will have confidence, then only will Zimbabwe be a desirable destination for the much need skilled man power.
*How ever One law for ALL where no ONE is above the law is a prerequisite.*
Homicide is murder by mistake, 1st degree murder is not a mistake. Mugabe intentionally destroyed commercial farming and therefore murdered commercial farming so Nyabadza’s assertion that the destruction of commercial farming was a mistake is not the truth.
We all know it was a mistake but had no say. It was a grab for political gain and turned into a looting exercise. The “shefu’s”(what ever they are) looted one farm abandoned it and grabbed another. So long as we have ZANUPF in government nothing will change because the looters are still in charge. Mugabe even bragged that they know who murdered the white farmers and that they were safe. If ED is serious he needs to swing these murderers from the gallows –
After a fair trial that is. Compensation will not be paid and those still on the land will be under threat. These 99yr leases are filled with red tape that does not garuantee a secure tenure. Lets see what hapens after these so called free and fair elections (for those who have a ZPF card only).