via Mugabe fumes – DailyNews Live by Fungi Kwaramba
Mugabe yesterday took a swipe at unproductive new farmers, whom he alleged were using outdated farming techniques.
Officially opening the Harare Agricultural Show, Mugabe slammed resettled farmers for using Stone Age farming techniques.
“Tinoda machengeterwo emombe akasiyana neaiitwa nanasekuru vedu (We want to rear cattle in a different way from what our ancestors used to do),” Mugabe said.
“Now people with A2 farms are practising just like my grandparents but they have the knowledge and so many degrees.”
Zimbabwe has been on the edge since 2000, when Mugabe, now 89, ordered the seizure of white-owned farms.
The land seizures were widely seen as a move to bolster his sinking popularity.
White farmers, aid officials and Western diplomats agree that land redistribution was needed to undo colonialism’s legacy in Zimbabwe, where whites made up one percent of the population but owned 70 percent of the most fertile land. FROM P1
But they say the programme’s fast pace and Mugabe’s hardball tactics spawned violence and aggravated the food crisis. Some white farmers were killed during the land redistribution campaign. More than 4 000 were evicted without compensation, according to the Commercial Farmers Union.
Mugabe called on new farmers to “embrace new technologies in order to empower our agriculture.”
The Zanu PF leader admitted that the country’s livestock production was still stuttering and promised to assist farmers to jump-start the agricultural sector which used to be the mainstay of the economy before the advent of the land reform programme in 2000.
After chiding new farmers for employing archaic methods, Mugabe turned his focus on black farmers leasing out their properties to evicted white farmers.
“Let’s change our methods, zvanezuro zvekuti dai agriculture yafondoka varungu vadzoke tozoratidza mhuri yeZimbabwe kuti hatigone pasina varungu ndezvezvibwasungata zvinoda kuramba zvichiyamwa mazamu anaMrs.
Hatingarambe tichishandira bhunu ratisingazive kuti rakabva kupi. (What was happening in the recent past when some were saying agriculture should collapse in order to prove that blacks are not good farmers so as to bring back white farmers is a wishful thinking by sell-outs. We cannot continue working for the whites),” Mugabe said.
During the tenure of the inclusive government, Zanu PF rejected a land audit amid allegations from the MDC that several top government officials are multiple land owners.
Ex-minister of State in the President’s Office, Didymus Mutasa, who is also Zanu PF administration secretary, has said the three land audits he conducted had confirmed that the poor black masses were the major beneficiaries, not the cronies named in several audit reports; and therefore there was no need for another land audit.
Government did not take up an offer of $31 million from the European Union to bankroll the planned land audit.
The European Commission in Zimbabwe has said the EU was ready to fund an “inclusive, transparent and comprehensive land audit” but said no one had come forward to claim the money.
Fresh from winning an election albeit under controversial circumstances, Mugabe is pushing for yet another black empowerment programme targeting foreign firms similar to the land reform programme.
Mugabe was on cloud nine, boasting of his re-election for yet another term in a disputed poll.
He said he was glad the country had successfully co-hosted the world tourism indaba in Victoria Falls this week.
“The United Nations World Tourism Organisation (UNWTO) which we successfully co-hosted with Zambia showed that nothing is enchanting and enduring as people united in achieving the same goals they have set for themselves,” said Mugabe.
COMMENTS
Utterly amazing. When the “White Farmers” were evicted we all heard Mugabe spouting “We are taking back the Land, We are going to pay for it” Never happened! Now the collapse of farming is blamed on Whites who have conspired to show that blacks cannot farm? The weekend farmers did not exist according to Mutasa – we should all take his word as he deems it unnecessary to conduct an audit, even though it would be freely funded.
Industry is to be now appropriated with the same old song “We are going to pay for it”. Never going to happen!!!
You allocate me a farm, farming needs finance, I go to the Bank,
they want collateral or the Deeds to the property, but you withhold
the documents. WTF do I do now?? Come on, say something BOB.
“mugabe fumes at farmers” … Perhaps he will self ignite and do everyone a favour.
Mugabe wouldn’t know what a good farmer was even if he fell over one.
Fuming won’t fix it.
Neither will hate speech or stealing elections.
They deliberately messed up agriculture by settling untrained people whose only credentials for settlement were political, NOT agricultural expertise.
HE SET THEM UP TO FAIL AND CAUSE STARVATION so that zanu can control food distribution.
MUGABE WANTS THE PEOPLE TO BE DEPENDENT ON ZANU FOR THEIR BREAD AND BUTTER
wat a joke of President….
He is a maniac who has been sponsored by Sadc. He lost the plot years ago but then he has liberation credentials. He has never heard a shot fired in anger. He lived the good life whilst his so called freedom fighters terrorished the rural populations. They are still doing it. He gained power through violence and has held onto it by the same. If it were not so true it would sound like a horror story by Steven King. Now he has openly stolen an election and Sadc well knows it and has endorsed it. Horrifying stuff.
He needs God to give him wisdom. Pray like Solomon and God will open your eyes otherwise shut up.
Ngiyenyanya
this guys never accept to take the blame, He violently took over the land, which people were ill-prepared to do and they fail. He blames them. He blames the whites for taking the land during the colonial era, he blamed them when they wer forced to leave (for cloud seeding to discourage rainfall), blames the whites for not compansating for the land from which they were forcibly evicted and their property stolen, he blames Tsvangirai for proposing to do a land audit, blames sunctions, now the beneficiary themselves are in for it. One wonders what roles the man himselves is playing in all this. Anobva aziita muSante (Saint) chaiye Bob.
“Now people with A2 farms are practising just like my grandparents but they have the knowledge and so many degrees.”
But…but…Your Highness, they indeed have the knowledge and the degrees. The problem is they did not study in agriculture, nor do they have the motivation to innovate beyond termite mound farming and thatching grass cultivation.
WARYAADA HOOOOOOY!!!!!!!!!!
I am not satisfied with some of the comments; but i say whether you blame Mugabe or not, answer this question, have ever seen Mugabe intervening British and their stooges and followers, why do they always talk about Mugabe and Africa all, what do you think is that, can Mugabe comment the election of British and their followers, he is proud to talk because he has a resourceful blessed land; otherwise i wonder why British and their stooges take the white farmers to their land and give fertile lands, why do they force Mugabe to give land those who are new comers, i agree the hero to pressure and mistreat the new comers in his land, who ask you to measure or distribute the African lands while whites are colony supporter. in other words, how do the British and followers support Tvangrai because he is not African origin, Yur Yahuu!!