via CZI boss wants land ownership reversed 11/04/2014 NewZimbabwe
CONFEDERATIONS of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI) deputy president Henry Nemaire has called on government to restore full ownership of some rich agricultural land in Manicaland to its more productive former owners.
The land was earmarked for compulsory acquisition under government’s controversial land reform programme, rendering the companies still on the land incapable of putting long term plans on it.
But iIn an interview with NewZimbabwe.com this week, Nemaire said government should deeply consider delisting the farms, something that should see title deeds returned to the commercially viable companies.
This, he said, shall allow the agro-based firms to access funds from The Eastern and Southern African Trade and Development Bank, commonly known as PTA bank, and other financial institutions using title deeds.
“Land for companies such Border Timbers, Wattle Company, Makandi, Tongaat Hullet should be delisted so that they get the title deeds, which they can use to borrow huge sums for recapitalisation and re-tooling,” said Nemaire.
He said re-tooling of local companies with state of the art machinery was key, as it would give them leverage to compete with other manufacturers in countries in regions such as Southern Africa, Europe and Asia.
“There is need for urgent re-tooling and acquiring of world class standard machinery. If you get modern technology that produce high quality products then you can compete with foreign markets,” said CZI vice president.
Nemaire’s call came as most local firms are failing to finance their operations in a business environment that is suffocating under the current liquidity crunch.
Companies such as Karina, Border Timbers, Cairns Holdings, Quest Motors, Tanganda, Wattle, which used to employ thousands, have either closed down or are now operating below capacity.
The land reform programme, hailed as a big success by the Zanu PF government, also impacted negatively on production as most farms such as Makandi Estates and Kondozi which used to produce coffee and farm produce for international market.
The beneficiaries were influential Zanu-PF politicians who had no meaningful expertise in the trade.
Recently, Chris Mushohwe, minister of State for Provincial Affairs in Manicaland bemoaned continued closure of companies in the province, saying “locals were not benefitting from their natural resources”.
COMMENTS
Local seem interested in benefitting where they have made no contribution to the exclusion of all else. Now the harvest of entitlement is being reaped. Enjoy.
Doomed. They wrecked an entire country for their own selfish ends. Then, keep on preaching the same things and hoping for a different outcome. Fools no-body but themselves.
They should restore ownership to all former owners and just a select few, that is what this country needs to get back on its feet again.
…and once Kondozi is thriving they’ll loot it.
If I was President of Zimbabwe the first thing I would do once in office is Ban the party Zanu-pf for life,i would def put in a age limit for the president to sit for 2 terms only like in the usa and have a total of 8 yrs in power. I would restore all the farms back to the prev owners so all the workers can have there jobs back. and we can start exporting products from zim, I would also allocate a lot of the land to Genuine Black farmers. I would allow all the disporia back home I would def open lines of communication to the international community, I would create new jobs I would open proper shelters for people who are homeless, and homes for children who do not have parents, I would start a social security system like they have in the states, where a person can retire for early retirement at 62 yrs or at 67 yrs when you get your full retirement pay. there would be no corruption in my gov I would insist the people open there own business the banks will have lots of money for them to do this, I will also start our own money for example I would name the money it would have to be in shona? what is money called in Shona, that is what i would call it, the first year I am in office I will not take a salary I would want to get zim back on its feet and it’s going to take every Zimbabwe to build the nation again…
that would be a perfect dream except I am white female born in Johannesburg living in the states…grew up in Rhodesia now zim and Zambia..i just want every Zimbabwean to have that dream, oh yes I forgot I would allow gays to live in my new Zimbabwe… and we would forgive each other for being raciest in the past….
Sounds good but it ain’t gonna happen, the govt is to stubborn (stupid) to do that….
Sure Sherlock! Jack ’em up, get ’em running profitably once again – then jump in and grab them all over again. I know of one top politician who has basically worked her way through 15 farms, doing just that. Stinks!!!!
Right now nobody owns the land so the land has no value. That has to be the most ignorant and stupid thing any government has ever done. Destroy the national wealth by declaring land cannot be bought or sold.
Well done Nemaire, thinking of your own little circle just like zanu, why not call for the return of the unselective application of the law and respect of ALL property rights. Mushohwe is one of the biggest Hippocrates of them all , he took Kondozi and now is bemoaning the closure of companies, is Kondozi supplying anything to Cairns or the local market?
Munzwa is quite right…. restore ALL property rights or none! Title Deeds for all Zimbabweans – not just ZANOIDS.