African countries continue to poach displaced Zimbabwe farmers

By Lance Guma
16 January 2007

Somaliland became the latest African country to join the drive to lure displaced Zimbabwean commercial farmers onto its land. In a story published by the South African Farmers Weekly, Somaliland Foreign Affairs Minister Abdulali Duale said they were keen to discuss agricultural investment with experienced farmers from anywhere in the world. He told the weekly, ‘but I must say we would favour our fellow Africans, of any colour, because they have an emotional stake in the continent.’

The Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) has already confirmed that countries like Cameroon, Democratic Republic of Congo, Tanzania and Angola have expressed an interest in inviting Zimbabwean farmers. In an interview with the Mail and Guardian newspaper Olivier Hendrik the CFU director said, ‘It’s regrettable, we are having many farmers going to show their skills elsewhere, leaving their own country.’ Following the seizure of white owned land in Zimbabwe, some of the displaced farmers have already began farming in Zambia, Nigeria and Malawi.

John Worsley Worswick from Justice for Agriculture (JAG) told Newsreel they had also received enquiries from Rwanda, but that as a community support group they would not necessarily support the exportation of much needed commercial farming skills to other countries. Worswick says most of their members are looking at it from the point view of diversifying their operations outside the country until the situation improves. This he says has been ongoing ever since the farm invasions began.

And with more farm invasions taking place despite government assurances they will stop, more and more of the remaining white farmers are contemplating leaving for more secure countries. An estimated 600 white farmers are left on the farms and government promises of land for displaced farmers have so far not been fulfilled. Adding to the confusion are conflicting statements from government officials and Robert Mugabe himself. Mugabe has said white farmers will also be considered for land allocation while his security minister Didymus Mutasa has said the opposite.

Although parliament passed legislation prohibiting the occupation of land by people without offer letters from the Ministry of Lands and Agriculture, reports of disruptions and invasions continue to surface. Newspaper reports says over the last seven years 4 000 white farmers have been forced off their farms. Out of this only 19 have received 99-year leases.