via Zanu PF bigwigs risk losing land – The Zimbabwe Independent. 20 June 2014
SENIOR Zanu PF and government officials whose farms are lying idle risk losing the large tracts of land they got under the chaotic land reform programme as the state prepares for a land audit scheduled for next year.
Staff Writer
In an interview, Lands and Rural Resettlement minister Douglas Mombeshora said government will either downsize or take back land being underutilised.
He said government will appoint independent auditors to carry out the land audit which will involve visits to each and every farm.
The audit, if conducted as transparently as planned, is expected to flash out senior Zanu PF and government officials who are multiple farm owners in violation of government’s one-person-one-farm policy.
Mombeshora said: “The proper land audit which has not started will mean farm-to-farm visits. There will be verification to see the real owner. Some people were given farms but abandoned them.
“People will go to these farms and we want to see whoever is there and take their details. We will record which plot is occupied, which one is not. What are you planting, the number of crops, animals? We want to see production. If you are not farming we want to understand why. We want to establish those using the farms properly and those not.”
The minister also said he had the power to withdraw offer letters given to people underutilising the farms.
“Already I have downsized some farms. If you are doing nothing, we will take it (land) and if you are subletting we will also take it. We have already done that in Makonde, Zvimba and we are planning to do that in Mashonaland Central,’ said Mombeshora.
In January, Agriculture, Mechanisation and Irrigation Development deputy minister Responsible for Crops and Mechanisation, Davis Marapira was quoted by the state media as saying about 20 Arda farms are lying idle with only Chisumbanje viable.
Kintyre Estates, a leading dairy producer which used to supply up to 100 000 litres of milk per month, is another example of a farm now lying idle after a failed ambitious project to turn the farm into commercial and housing plots.
In addition to the money being provided by the European Union, United Nations Development Programme and World Bank, Mombeshora said the rest of the money would be raised internally from the farmers.
COMMENTS
Wonder what the gvt will do with the farms taken back.
There is no will to take anything back. ZANU will never do this. They are just politicking.
These are modern day pirates. You loot, you keep the loot.and you look for the next looting opportunity.
ZANU must go.
“….flash out senior Zanu PF and government officials…” You sure? Take off these greedy animals from whose land? And put who?
You should also realise the reason why most land is lying idle is that their is no finance.
Unfortunately billions of dollars of value is locked in the land which cannot be used as security.
Poor Zanu they seem to think with the bottom.
Proposal from a clever economist/investor who is working and making other countries benefit from skills acquired from Zim, of course before Zimuto Universty:
-Demarcate the country farming land into Commercial, Semi/Small Scale Commercial and Communal land( As the so called daft Tsvangson once said “we cannot turn the whole country into “rusevha”.)
-Define maximum farm size for commercial farm and small scale commercial also taking into consideration the region and irrigation availability.(In organised civilised countries farmers survive with less than 100ha (avg. 55ha))
-Introduce land tax…the more land you have the more tax you pay especially above a certain level. The rate charge increasing becoming higher with larger farm sizes. Again the region factor should be taken into consideration.
-Identify trained or experienced agriculturalist irrespective of party affiliation and colour and give them government financial support and bank guarantees. They must also contribute say even 5 percent, just to show commitment.
-Allow farm purchase with title deeds availability on full payment.
-Make a commitment to compensate the farmers that were displaced so that you get international goodwill and financial support from organisation like IFC.
-And of course retire Mugabe the untrusted, unpredictable and crook who only thought of distributing land after the Referendum Loss of 2000. He now tells the world and us it was caused by Tony Blair not honouring up.(The daft unfortunately believe him.)
Simple! Not these analysis and analysis, while the country is starving and have to import food from the old farmers..shame!
I wonder what they will do about the once hugely successful farms that only produced export quality fruit. What will happen to the farm whose orchards are either dead or beyond repair. How can those farms be returned to their original state? What about the state of the art pack sheds that have been looted and plundered and will take thousands of dollars to get back to the original state? And finally, “we will find out who is the owner of that farm”. Excuse me, surely the owner is the person who holds the Title Deeds?
Tsuro – yes! The entire economy is underpinned by credit based on land security.
Tsuro ,if only they would listen . These are not nationalist, these are parasitic pirates surviving on us and Mugabe is chief Dracula.
just trying to pull the wool over everyones eyes
The regime seized the white owned farms out of greed there was no economic justifica-tion for the seizures. After spending billions of dollars in subsidies to these these mobile phone farmers and with the economy now in totally meltdown the regime has finally ac-cepted that their agrarian experiment was a disaster.
The irony is the regime is taking away the farms from these cronies at a time when they have nothing left and have no prospect of getting another job! Since 2000 Mugabe has dished out former white-owned farm like confetti at a wedding to boost his own political support. Now that his political fortunes have improved considerable thanks to the breath-taking incompetence of Tsvangirai and MDC he now wants to take the farms back.
Most of these failed farmers have nothing left in this world other than the allocated farm. Yes, they have failed to fully utilise the farm but at least they management to produce enough for their own family needs plus a little extra for sell. Taking the farm away from them will mean starting afresh in their traditional rural homes where millions live in abject poverty. Some comeback!
So the seized farms were bait and now Mugabe got what he wanted he is throwing all those who have been foolish enough to swallow the bait, hook and sinker economically worse off now than they were in 2000 before their greed had the better of them. Every-one should have realised that Mugabe was only using them and would discard them as he has discarded everyone else sooner or later.
Nathan Shamuyarira, a grandee of Zanu PF, died a pauper. These party loyalist were no grandees and it is naïve for them to think they would somehow escape poverty the dis-ease that has afflicted millions of Zimbabweans including grandees like Shamuyarira!
We all know human history and there is enough reason to keep
in mind that certain powers do not easily let go what they gained.
Unlike the regular currency that you use, it is difficult to be counterfeited.
Mining isn’t terribly common, but those who are dedicated to it are an extremely important part of the entire scheme.