Mugabe Cronies Grab Farms

28th April 2002

President Robert Mugabe's cronies are moving in the wake of marauding "war veterans" to grab prime commercial farms for themselves, giving the lie to Mugabe's claim that he is dispossessing white farmers for "peasant resettlement".

Although Mugabe has repeatedly justified his land seizure programme as rectifying colonial injustices, several of his henchmen are now cherry-picking the best farms for themselves, often forcing out indignant war veterans.

The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) said they were seizing not only prime land, but more recently farm equipment and other property, offering no payment or compensation. Even under Zimbabwe's questionable land resettlement laws – frequently dismissed by courts as unconstitutional – the government is supposed to reimburse farmers for moveable property that is seized.

The CFU sees this week's instruction by top officials of Mugabe's ruling Zanu-PF for the police not to get involved in cases were white farmers are being stripped of their land and property as part of the campaign by the ''chefs'' (élites) to become landowners.

The CFU said top Zanu-PF officials Stephen Nkomo and Kembo Mohadi had warned police not to intervene in events that were politically driven.

Nkomo and Mohadi's mission was preceded by the seizure of a prime farm by one of Mugabe's deputies, Vice-President Joseph Msika and the influential Governor and Resident Minister of Matabeleland South Province, Obert Mpofu.

Msika and Mpofu partitioned a prime farm called Umguza Block for themselves. War veterans and squatters, who had earlier occupied the farm in the hope of being allocated land on the property were relocated.

President Mugabe's sister, Sabina, visited a farm and expressed an interest in taking it some time before its owner, Terry Ford, was murdered by war veterans last month.

White farmers say they have discerned a strategy pursued by the "chefs". Once they have inspected huge farms, militant war veterans evict farmers, clearing the way for the chefs to take over.

The CFU said in some provinces farmers were unable to move their equipment and property to secure locations because senior government officials were seizing it.

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made has announced a new policy reducing all farms to a maximum 2,000 hectares. But he specifically exempted the new black landowners, a move that CFU chairman Colin Cloete called racist. "This is unfortunate and impractical and will serve only further to undermine investor and donor confidence," said Cloete.

President Mugabe has actively supported the land seizures. While his cronies share the spoils, economists say the country, which is already facing massive food shortages attributed to the farm seizures, will lose $1.12 billion in GDP this year because of the decline in agricultural output.

By Basildon Peta, Zimbabwe correspondent - Independent (UK)