via Farmers to discuss way forward on land | The Zimbabwean 01.04.14
South African land valuer Mills Fitchet is currently in Zimbabwe for a series of meetings on farm restitution/compensation issues and the valuation of claims.
While many dispossessed farmers have been disillusioned by previous initiatives which have yielded little and, in many cases further impoverished many former farmers, feedback from the sector indicates that this is an important initiative which must be given a chance.
As they point out, history has proved that title deeds, coupled with the rule of law, are the catalysts for development and for bringing countries out of poverty. While property rights remain unprotected, Zimbabweans will become poorer, hungrier and food insecure.
For further information, contact Justice for Agriculture (JAG), Harare, on: cell: +263 (0)774 645 894 or e-mail them on jag@mango.zw : justiceforagriculture@zol.co.zw
COMMENTS
Sincerity from ZANU, that will be a surprise. Obviously the money for compensation is coming from abroad. ZANU is hoping for loads and loads, and guess what? The poor farmers will be lucky to get a penny of it.
All theY are good at is looting.
There is no honour.
Mbava.
The so called white farmers do not deserve any compansion but must pay restitution for illegal occupation of african land.
Makotsi do you think that such hardness, bitterness and unforgiveness will bring healing to Zimbabwe. What do you think God would want. Most of those farmers acquired their land after 1980 and had letters of no interest from the government. We must try and see things through God’s eyes and not through the eyes of our twisted hearts. May God have mercy on Zimbabwe and may His love and forgiveness replace all our hate and bitterness
NBS, Chivabhadharaka iwe une tsitsi manhingi.
@timba, it’s not a case of tsitsi but doing everything the lawful way. I’m black and Zimbabwean and would like to have a farm, but with this present approach what guarantees do I and many others that the government won’t perform another U-turn. What we had was perennial harvesters running from farm to farm reaping where they didn’t sow. Why do you think all the farm grabbers don’t have title deeds years after invading??? Why are banks not financing the new farm owners??? These question have no easy answers even for Robert Mugabe. This needs to be addressed and that land to be commercially viable for the benefit of all Zimbabweans irrespective of colour or creed.
You short sighted racist ignorant wretch. The whites that had their farms stolen were Zimbabweans in almost every case. They cleared virgin bush that had never been productive and created the bread basket of Africa. They employed more of their own countrymen than the ZANU PF government has ever managed. They were and are citizens. Do you believe that whites cannot be citizens in Africa? If so Britain and every other country in the world that has large black populations, should steal their land and belongings and tell them they are the wrong color and must get out. My bet is that you have never grown a thing in your life but have stuffed your face from someone else’s labors. You and your ilk are no better than parasites and are one of the main reasons that Zimbabwe is now such a begging, riuned unproductive disaster.
Vakatenga???? Gotta be the funniest joke I eva heard. Wot wrld you live in or you just tryina confuse people??
@ Timba, please don’t display your ignorance. It’s uncalled for, it’s either uri mwana wa nezuro kana kuti uri dununu.
Hey sunshine catch a wake up, many white farmers bought their land from the Zimbabwe government. They farmed it and fed the nation, now you are starving due to your own incompetence.
The so called white farmers are looters of african land who of neccessity must pay restitution for the illegality.
The worms are out the can. You can’t stuff them all back.
Makotsi in your opinion was there ever a white person who BOUGHT a farm AFTER 1980 who deserves to have that farm? Or do you believe that no white people should be allowed to own anything in Zimbabwe?
Tell the truth Makotsi…..
Those blacks who can not farm should return the land to the white farmers. Land is not a toy just to own for the sake of owning it. This idea of “its mine” just for the sake of it should stop. We want production, we want economic development.
Makotsi, God help Zimbabwe if there are many more people like you with sick, ill-informed and racialistic attitudes you seem to have.
Burn down your cities and leave our farms, and your cities will spring up again as if by magic; but destroy our farms and the grass will grow in the streets of every city in the land (William Jennings Bryan, 9 July 1896).
How prophetic these words are proving to be for Zimbabwe. In making this statement, however, Bryan could never have dreamt of a government purposefully destroying its own farms.
The first white hunters, traders and missionaries who, in the 19th century came to the region that was to become Rhodesia and subsequently Zimbabwe, found a land devoid of infrastructure. The wheel was not yet in use. Early travellers recorded traveling often for days without seeing any human habitation. With a population of about a quarter of a million people at the time, indeed most of the land was not occupied. Commercial farming started in the 1890s on what was, for the most part, virgin land. There were no roads or railways, there was no electricity or telephone; there were no fences, boreholes, pumps, windmills, dams, irrigation schemes; there were no cattle dips, barns or any other farm buildings.
Outposts of civilization
The benefits accruing to the country from the commercial farming sector extended far beyond the value of agricultural products and employment. The farmers contributed to the leadership, fabric and welfare of society out of all proportion to their numbers. It was largely this fact that was to make them the prime target of a government desperately clinging to power. Each farm was, to a greater or lesser extent, an outpost of civilization. Many farms established schools for the children of their workers. Every farm was a clinic and dispensary and ambulance service for the surrounding areas. The relationship between farmer and worker was more intimate and benevolent than in any other industry. Commercial farmers tended to be exemplary neighbours to the communal area peasant farmers, providing unpaid help in many ways. It was from the agricultural shows organized by farmers that the Central African Trade Fair grew.
All these contributions to the growth of the economy and the welfare of the country emanated from fewer than five thousand farmers, on less than 15% the land.
Makotsi answer my question? In case you were confused by a simple question let me repeat it…..DO YOU BELIEVE A WHITE PERSON WHO BOUGHT A FARM AFTER 1980 has a right to own that farm? A simple yes or no will suffice….
Makotsi if the settlers had never arrived you today my friend would be running around in a Duiker skin rubbing Hyena dung behind your ears when you got a headache???? There are many “if’s” in the past , no country will ever go forward if it dwells on what was and does not focus on it’s future.
For Makotsi’s information, I bought my farm in 1997 and still had a valid certificate of no present interest issued by the Government when my property was stolen, YES STOLEN and today it is a poor show of a farm with most of the buildings broken down, the irrigation – left with pumps and pipes fully operational, with 20 HA standing crops, is defunct and the soils no doubt depleted as only maize has been grown on the fields since 2000. Do you call that progress, I call it theft and destruction and I want back what was mine plus loss of earnings and hardship caused.
It is also widely accepted that the land issue has to be sorted before Zimbabwe can ever begin reconstructing its self for without the value being reinstated now bank will lend against its development, not even the GOZ banks such as Agribank who is now broke.
It should not be about white or black but what is good for ALL ZIMBABWEANS and the nation.
I am fortunate to have meet and chat to many true Zimbabweans who express sympathy with me for the wrong that was done and these are the people of our future and not the North Korean indoctrinated buffoons who think they own everything for nothing.
former farmer you are 100% correct. And the main reason Zimbabwe will not resurrect until we sort out this land issue is because God will not allow Zim to prosper until we face these things and especially the terrible injustice of the 1980’s. A sin is a sin and a wrong is a wrong until they are confessed and forgiveness has been asked for and things put right. That applies to each and every one of us.
This subject raises emotions rightly or wrongly so. It is not all blacks who benefited from land reform and resettlement. Those owning multiple farms must pay restitution to former owners and leading the park is the first family in particular the first lady. She has acquired the whole of Mazowe including Mazoe Citrus Estate owned by Interfresh registered on the Stock Market. The first lady is responsible for all the confusion on the farms pretending to be Mother Theresa when the motive is to steal land from the nation. Does one require so much land for an orphanage of a few cronies’ children. The first lady must know that Zimbabweans are not dummies. We are an educated nation kept under leash by stored fear from previous violence meted out by the ruling elite. Down with oppression of the masses.
The land is for Africans not for others to intervene, so that they can discuss whatsoever of their development, if EU disturbs then there is no result at all!!
UMAARI – the land does not BELONG to Africans. It belongs to the earth and has been here for milleniums before any humans set foot on it. Whomever farms this land is a mere caretaker of it for future generations. If that person ruins that land HE HAS NO RIGHT TO BE THERE – whatever his skin colour, nationality or political persausion. NOBODY HAS A RIGHT TO MISUSE/POLLUTE/DENUDE ANY LAND ANYWHERE ON ANY CONTINENT – it is a precious resource belonging to our earth. OUR EARTH UMAARI – that means ALL OF US.