Source: Zimbabwe’s independence farce: Land tenure policy exposes new breed of “vapambepfumi”
Among the key grievances of the black majority under colonial rule was the unjust and inequitable allocation of land, with vast, fertile tracts being monopolized by a minority of white settlers while millions of indigenous people were crammed into barren and unproductive communal areas.
This issue was at the heart of the liberation struggle, with the promise of reclaiming the land and returning it to the people serving as a rallying cry for the fighters.
Those white settlers were infamously branded as “vapambepfumi,” meaning usurpers of wealth, and thousands of Zimbabweans, both young and old, sacrificed their lives for the vision of a free and just society where every citizen would share equitably in the country’s abundant resources, particularly land.
However, over four decades later, the promises of independence have been exposed as a cruel farce.
The recent unveiling of a new land tenure policy by President Emmerson Mnangagwa’s administration has only served to underscore this betrayal.
The policy, allowing beneficiaries of the land reform program to sell their land and use it as collateral for bank loans, may appear progressive on the surface.
Yet, it raises both legal and moral concerns that reveal the depth of the deception surrounding Zimbabwe’s so-called independence.
To understand the gravity of this betrayal, it is essential to revisit the context of Zimbabwe’s land question.
The land reform program initiated under the late Robert Mugabe’s government in the early 2000s was ostensibly aimed at addressing the colonial land imbalance.
It was marketed as a revolutionary act of social and economic justice, taking land from a privileged few white farmers and redistributing it to millions of landless black Zimbabweans.
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While the chaotic and often violent manner in which this process was conducted drew international condemnation and strained relations with Western nations, including the imposition of sanctions, many Zimbabweans initially supported the principle of land redistribution as a long-overdue corrective measure.
Yet, the reality of the land reform program was far removed from its stated goals.
Instead of redistributing land equitably to benefit the majority, the process was hijacked by a small clique of politically connected elites.
Official statistics reveal the stark truth: only 23,500 Zimbabweans benefitted from A2 commercial farms, while 360,000 were resettled on A1 smallholder plots.
This means that out of an estimated rural population of 5 million, a mere 7.12% received land, leaving 92.88% landless and consigned to the same communal areas that had been their colonial legacy.
This gross inequity has effectively replaced one class of “vapambepfumi” with another—only this time, the usurpers are black and predominantly members of the ruling elite.
This is not speculation but a matter of public record.
Multiple reports and investigations have documented how the most fertile and productive farms were allocated to high-ranking government officials, military personnel, and their families.
For instance, Bona Mugabe, daughter of the late Robert Mugabe, reportedly owns 21 farms.
If the offspring of the family of a president can accumulate such a staggering number of farms, it is not difficult to imagine the extent of land hoarding among other members of the political elite.
This grotesque inequality is an affront to the principles of the liberation struggle and a betrayal of the ordinary Zimbabweans who fought and died for justice.
The new land tenure policy introduced by the Mnangagwa administration exacerbates this injustice.
By allowing landholders to sell their farms or use them as collateral for loans, the policy effectively privatizes land ownership, reversing the principle that all agricultural land in Zimbabwe is state-owned.
This move has significant legal and moral implications.
Legally, it contravenes the Constitution of Zimbabwe, which explicitly vests land ownership in the state.
I dealt with the legal issue in a previous article entitled, “Zimbabwe’s new land tenure policy is unconstitutional and illegal”.
Morally, it entrenches the very inequalities that the liberation struggle sought to dismantle.
As evidenced during the policy’s launch at Mnangagwa’s Precabe Farm, the first beneficiaries are the same ruling elites who have already amassed vast tracts of land.
This development underscores the reality that independence in Zimbabwe was never about empowering the masses.
Instead, it was about transferring wealth and power from one privileged group to another.
The millions of landless Zimbabweans in rural areas, as well as the countless others in urban centers who dream of owning a piece of land, remain excluded from the supposed fruits of independence.
The consequences of this betrayal are far-reaching.
Land is not just an economic resource; it is a source of identity, security, and dignity for many Zimbabweans.
The continued marginalization of the majority from land ownership perpetuates cycles of poverty and inequality.
Zimbabwe’s rural population, which depends heavily on agriculture for survival, is particularly affected.
Without access to productive land, millions are trapped in subsistence farming on small, infertile plots, unable to break free from poverty.
This is why decade after decade, they are still dependent on the government for free agricultural inputs.
They will never be genuinely empowered and economically independent.
Moreover, the privatization of land ownership through the new tenure policy risks returning Zimbabwe to the pre-independence era when a handful of individuals controlled the most fertile land.
This time, however, the beneficiaries are not colonial settlers but a new black elite whose wealth and privilege are derived from their proximity to political power.
This development raises critical questions about the true meaning of independence.
Can a country be considered free when its resources remain concentrated in the hands of a few while the majority languish in poverty?
The argument that allowing landholders to sell or mortgage their farms will stimulate economic growth and attract investment is deeply flawed.
In a country where corruption is rampant and governance is weak, such a policy is more likely to fuel land speculation and further entrench inequalities.
The land reform program was supposed to empower ordinary Zimbabweans, not create opportunities for the elite to consolidate their wealth.
Allowing land to be commodified risks undermining the very purpose of land redistribution, turning it into a tool for profit rather than a means of social justice.
The launch of the new land tenure policy at Mnangagwa’s farm is symbolic of the farce that Zimbabwe’s independence has become.
It serves as a stark reminder that the promises of the liberation struggle have been betrayed by those who now hold power.
The struggle for land, which was at the heart of Zimbabwe’s fight for independence, remains unfinished.
The land reform program, far from addressing colonial injustices, has merely created a new class of “vapambepfumi” who are black instead of white.
This betrayal is not just a moral failing; it is a political and economic catastrophe.
Zimbabwe’s economy, already battered by decades of mismanagement and corruption, cannot recover without addressing the land question.
True independence requires more than just the transfer of power from one group to another.
It demands the creation of a just and equitable society where all citizens have access to the resources they need to thrive.
Zimbabwe’s independence was supposed to mark the beginning of a new era of justice and equality.
Instead, it has become a tragic farce, exposing the hypocrisy of those who claim to have fought for freedom while perpetuating the very injustices they once opposed.
The new land tenure policy is not just a policy failure; it is a betrayal of the millions of Zimbabweans who sacrificed everything for a dream that remains unfulfilled.
- Tendai Ruben Mbofana is a social justice advocate and writer. Please feel free to WhatsApp or Call: +263715667700 | +263782283975, or email: mbofana.tendairuben73@gmail.com, or visit website: https://mbofanatendairuben.news.blog/
COMMENTS
Bona Mugabe – 21 farms. “Guchi Grace ???”. Ian Smith = 1.
Maybe the whites who claimed this were right! The so called liberation leaders ( communist ), were merely only BLACK despots corrupting and exploiting the best of intentions of most of our people ( and some whites) to create an egalitarian and equal opportunity society for ALL Zims.
How many hundreds of millions did RGM put in his back pocket ( overseas). Ed and his cronies are probably just getting up to speed – and so on with so many of our “Liberation” icons.