via ZANU PF urged to restore land ownership in Manicaland | SW Radio Africa by Alex Bell on Monday, April 14, 2014
The ZANU PF government has been urged to restore full ownership of once productive agricultural farms in Manicaland, which were targeted for takeover under the party’s land grab campaign.
The Deputy President of the Confederations of Zimbabwe Industries (CZI), Henry Nemaire said in an interview with NewZimbabwe.com last week that the land should be returned to its more productive former owners.
Nemaire said the government should consider ‘delisting’ major commercial properties farms, resulting in the return of title deeds to the original land owners. He said this would allow the firms to access funds and return to production.
Successful commercial farms across the country were all but destroyed in process of the land seizure campaign, which was done under the guise of ‘reform’. The removal of title deed, and the subsequent destruction of future property rights, means there is little reinvestment opportunities in the agricultural sector.
“Land for companies such as 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 was also quoted as saying that ‘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 the CZI vice president.
Companies such as Karina, Border Timbers, Cairns Holdings, Quest Motors, Tanganda, Wattle, which used to employ thousands of people, have either closed down or are now operating below capacity.
A return to successful agricultural production, with a constitutionally protected right to property and title deed, has for years been touted as the key to turning around Zimbabwe’s economic failures. But ZANU PF, which insists the land grab was a success, has not budged since the campaign launched over a decade ago.
COMMENTS
Why only Manicaland? This is the trouble with this zanu party, never a holistic solution, just trying to put smaller fires out to suit the individual greed…..
Is there one ear that hears in ZPF? No! Is there one eye that sees in ZPF? No! Is there one brain cell that works in ZPF? No! Is there one shred of decency in ZPF? No! repent before it is too late and do the right thing for once!
Hand over the running to people that know how to do maintenance to equipment then with power, water and the like then hand back to the original owners.
If you can give them incentives they may just come back. Most houses, Boreholes and equipment has been destroyed or not repaired, how do the original owners who had everything stolen from them recover the way we need. they as do the rest of even lost their money in the banks, who will fund them now. Foreign investment????
Its a difficult one but achieveable lets go and get rid of indigenisation lets sell the land legally to investors with a 5 year business plan with annual targets that must be maintained Tax free benefits, etc then we will see the true patriots and persons that want to get RICH legally by working for it not just stealing land.