More white farmers given 90 days to leave

By Tererai Karimakwenda
27 June 2006

Despite statements by top officials that the government is making efforts to revive agriculture and produce food for the nation, it has been revealed that eviction notices were sent last week to many of the remaining productive white farmers giving them 90 days to vacate their properties. Trevor Gifford, chairman of the Commercial Farmers Union of Zimbabwe (CFU) told us at least 9 farmers had actually received the notices and they were signed by State Security and Lands Minister Didymus Mutasa himself. He admitted the CFU had been let down by the government again and there was confusion, but said the group will continue dialogue with government because they believe some officials truly want change. John Worsley Worswick of Justice for Agriculture said the new notices were political because only a court can order evictions and there is no reason to trust the government given the facts on the ground.

Gifford said Mutasa had recently lost 2 separate high court cases in which farmers in Karoi appealed against their evictions. He said the CFU was concerned because the farmers who had actually received notices so far had memorandums of agreement with the government to grow wheat and barley as part of the winter crop project. Gifford says the CFU has done everything possible to cooperate with government and has still been let down, but he continued to defend the Mugabe regime saying he believes some officials mean well.

On the recent eviction notices John Worsley Worswick explained that there are only 2 methods that can be used to order an eviction. He said the government can use the Land Acquisition Act or last year’s Constitutional Amendment # 17 which nationalised all agricultural land. But he said only a competent court can issue the actual eviction order. Following this reasoning Worswick said the new eviction notices signed by Mutasa were political and therefore not valid. He believes the government is trying to give a face of respectability to the chaotic land reform programme by handing out 90-day notices signed by the minister when the reality on the ground is that there is no law and order. Worswick also criticised the CFU for continuing their dialogue with government saying there is no evidence that government is serious.