Online Reporter
The Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and Water Resources Development, Hon Dr Anxious Jongwe Masuka, has strongly dismissed media reports suggesting a reversal of Zimbabwe’s land reform programme, describing any such insinuation as “mischievous and misguided.”
Speaking in Parliament this Wednesday as Acting Leader of Government Business in the absence of the Minister of Lands and Rural Development, Dr Masuka responded in Shona to questions on land, reiterating that the Second Republic under President Dr E.D. Mnangagwa is instead consolidating tenure security for hundreds of thousands of black farmers.
According to the Minister’s statement, the Government has taken “the unprecedented and revolutionary step to issue title deeds to 360,000 A1 farmers and 23,500 A2 farmers.” He further confirmed that over 70,000 Old Resettlement farmers would receive permits, leases and offer letters in terms of the Constitution, specifically Sections 289, 293 and 295.
Dr Masuka highlighted that 840 indigenous farms which were gazetted at the height of the land reform programme will be returned to their owners. A further 67 BIPPA farms that were gazetted but remain unoccupied will be returned to investors.
Regarding the 409 former farm owners who are peacefully co-existing with beneficiaries, the Minister elaborated that these individuals will be allowed to purchase their farms or portions thereof. A set-off mechanism is available for their investments, which should be compensated — though not the land itself. “The land is being sold and their improvements regarded as investments,” he said.
In a further demonstration of the President’s magnanimity, Dr Masuka indicated that His Excellency has directed the issuance of title deeds to 10,000 Matenganyika farmers, who continue to hold leases issued before independence.
The Minister underscored that “land was a core grievance against the heinous and minority settler oppressive regime,” which drove thousands of black Zimbabweans to wage an armed struggle to liberate themselves from the shackles of oppression.
“Now the people are with their land and the land with its people,” he said.
Dr Masuka concluded that any meeting or insinuation of a reversal of the land reform programme is “mischievous and misguided.” He noted that the Hansard record of his remarks is available for verification.
No amount of spin by the Minister can undo facts. Zimbabweans are not stupid, are not illiterate and are not blind. Land reform is being reversed through an array of undebated legislation circumventing the people. No denial by government can undo facts on the ground. The land we fought for is being parceled out to undeserving people disguised as investors. The majority of Zimbabwe’s poor remains poor and landless. Compensation is being paid to those who benefitted from the oppressive system. White farmers were favoured for compensation for improvement on farms they originally “owned” while black people who contributed to such improvements through abuse and subjugation were left to leak their wounds. The government is trying to divide people by selectively offering “benefits” to the war veterans while leaving out the people who equally contributed to the liberation of this country. How many ordinary rural people were compensated for the loss of their cattle, chickens, goats, field produce, limb and life they incurred as a result of participating in the armed struggle that birthed Zimbabwe? How many of these politicians who did not participate in the struggle for freedom are enjoying the fruits while those who suffered wallow in abject poverty? Some of these pseudo politicians were not even born in 1980. Government can say whatever it wants but a lot of bad acts have happened including reversal of the land reform. Those who perished, died in vain.