20 Midlands farmers given 48 hours to vacate properties

By Tererai Karimakwenda
26 April 2006

Despite the government’s current claim that it is serious about reviving agriculture and developing a new land initiative, illegal evictions of white commercial farmers have escalated in the last couple of weeks. Officials, including the land and security minister Didymus Mutasa, have told the press that the government is willing to take back under-utilised farms from blacks who have not produced and return it to white farmers who can prove they have the skills to feed the nation. The Commercial Farmers Union confirmed to us they had submitted 200 applications from their members who want to participate in this ‘land deal.’ But it’s hard to take the government’s rhetoric seriously when pressure on the remaining white farmers to leave their properties within days has intensified. 20 farmers in the midlands were this week given 48 hours to vacate their farms and leave everything behind. The farm workers have also been ordered to leave.

Justice for Agriculture (JAG), which represents the majority of evicted farmers, has criticised the CFU for cooperating with the government on this new initiative and pointed out serious flaws with the plan. Constitutional Amendment #17 of last year dictates that all agricultural land now belongs to the state. JAG’s John Worsley Worswick explained that the farmers will therefore not be given title deeds. This means they will not be able to get capital for inputs like fertiliser and seeds. Worswick said the government cannot even help to subsidise production because it is broke and has failed to fund its own input programme.

The maximum lease period allowed is currently 10 years. Yet the government is promising CFU members that they would eventually get 99 year leases. Worswick said farmers would be “insane” to accept this government offer and JAG was advising their members not to. Asked if he had any idea why the CFU was going along with it, Worswick said: “We are under no illusions as to why this is happening. The CFU has been around for 78 years and has done some great work gaining huge credibility. We will need the CFU in the future to reconstruct our agricultural systems. But the leadership is still on their farms and have politically been left alone. Some individuals in the CFU have expanded their operations on the back of this crisis acting as agents for the government. They have chosen to go this lucrative route at the demise of their members.” Worswick added that CFU membership has been dwindling and there are approximately only 300-350 members left.

CFU chairman Trevor Gifford told us last week they were cooperating with the government because they want to help produce food and foreign currency for the nation. He said they have a long history of producing and have proved they have the skills. Asked why they should trust the government after so many disappointments, Gifford said: “Nothing ventured nothing gained.” He added that he hoped the government would keep its word.

We will follow events in the midlands where 20 farmers have been ordered to leave. The farm workers will immediately lose their jobs and will have nowhere to go with their families. By accepting this illegal and cruel treatment of farmers and their staff, the government is not giving any reason why this new offer should be taken seriously.