Date: Fri, 18 Aug 2000 22:20:33 -0700
To: "Zimbabwe Crisis Mailing List":;
From: Zimbabwe Crisis
Subject: ZimCrisis#130 -- Farm Seizures Start with Widow's Eviction
Hi everyone,
I send this story out to highlight the heartlessness of Mugabe and his government. However, having said that, you almost have to laugh (if it wasn't so serious, you would) at what the Mashonaland governor has to say, quoted from the article in the next paragraph:
The Mashonaland provincial governor, Elliot Manyika, who handed over the land, said: "We want them to prepare the land and produce to feed the nation. Infrastructure will follow when we have finished putting the people on the land," he said to the cheers of the new owners. But by Mr Manyika's own admission, the 47 families have no tools or skill in using the farm's equipment, raising serious doubts that they will fulfil his exhortation.
I'd like to get some of whatever dagga he is smoking -- it's obviously good stuff. Putting the cart before the horse is putting it mildly. If these 47 "new" farmers manage to "feed the nation" scratching about on their little plots with "no tools or skill" and before any infrastructure is in place, I'll be reporting a miracle to Rome -- not to mention looking to the sky for flying pigs!
Craig
Special report: Zimbabwe
Andrew Meldrum in Centenary and Chris McGreal in Harare
Friday August 04 2000 The Guardian
The Zimbabwean government has begun its long-promised mass expropriation of white-owned land for redistribution to millions of black peasants with the seizure of the first farms without compensation.
The confiscation of Viewfield Farm in Centenary, an hour's drive from Harare, comes after months of confrontation and violence as President Robert Mugabe vowed to take much of Zimbabwe's fertile land out of the hands of a few thousand white farmers.
Although hundreds of farms have already been illegally occupied by war veterans and their supporters, and several white families forced to flee their homes, Viewfield is the first to be taken by the government after being legally designated for confiscation.
An official messenger served the elderly owner, April Davies, with the papers authorising its seizure. She has 90 days to vacate her house. Her 34 black farm labourers and their families have also been ordered off the property.
The government bussed 47 families, described by local officials as "land starved", to the 1,300-hectare (3,200-acre) tobacco and maize farm. They were allowed to peg out 28 hectares each.
The government says another two dozen farms in the area will be resettled within days and it will use the army to move 500,000 families on to expropriated farms in the coming months.
It described those given land on Viewfield Farm as widows, war veterans and villagers on communal land. Locals say the families were chosen for their loyalty to Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
The Mashonaland provincial governor, Elliot Manyika, who handed over the land, said: "This is the start of an ongoing exercise to resettle the people before the onset of the rains.
"We want them to prepare the land and produce to feed the nation. Infrastructure will follow when we have finished putting the people on the land," he said to the cheers of the new owners.
But by Mr Manyika's own admission, the 47 families have no tools or skill in using the farm's equipment, raising serious doubts that they will fulfil his exhortation.
Critics warn that wholesale seizure of commercial farms will wreck Zimbabwe's agricultural production and an already battered economy. The finance minister, Simba Makoni, admits that the economy is in "deep crisis" and imposed a sharp devaluation and a block on new public spending in an attempt to revive it.
The government is also scrambling to fend off looming American sanctions aimed at blocking all international finance and US aid to Zimbabwe because of the illegal land seizures and political violence.
White farmers have taken the government to the supreme court, arguing that the land seizures amount to unconstitutional racial discrimination.
In his court application, David Hasluck, the director of the Commercial Farmers Union, concedes that whites dominate land ownership but adds that the confiscations amount to "an assault upon the white farming community, the rape of their properties and the deprivation of their livelihoods".
Mrs Davies's farm was invaded by "war veterans" in March. Within weeks her husband Douglas died of a heart attack. She blames the stress of the land seizure. After the confiscation order was served, Mrs Davies went to Harare to stay with her daughter. She refuses to speak to the press.
Although Mr Mugabe has vowed repeatedly that his government will not pay a penny for the soil he says was originally stolen from blacks by British colonists, the government is legally obliged to compensate Mrs Davies for her house and farm buildings. But the two sides have not even begun to discuss an amount and the farmers union doubts she will see any money soon.
Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited
Craig
Zimbabwe Crisis Mailing List
http://www.niner.net/zimcrisis
This is currently a manually administered mailing list. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send your request to DELETED. Personal requests for removal will be carried out immediately. Requests from governmental, political or press organisations (or their representatives) will be treated less favourably. The purpose of this list is not necessarily to redistribute published news reports. Rather, it is intended to distribute reports from or directly affecting people in Zimbabwe. If you have seen something before, I apologise. Hopefully that will not be a regular occurrence. Any reports from respondents that are relayed to the mailing list will be done so anonymously.
Brief list of helpful sites on the issue:
- Zimbabwe Crisis mailing list archives -- http://www.niner.net/zimcrisis
- Comprehensive news updates -- http://www.1freespace.com/beetee
- Offers of and requests for help for Zimbabweans -- http://pub9.ezboard.com/boffersofhelp
- Commercial Farmers' Union -- http://www.mweb.co.zw/cfu
- Movement for Democratic Change -- http://www.in2zw.com/mdc
- Zimbabwe Democracy Trust -- http://www.zimbabwedemocracytrust.org
- BSAP Pursuit of Zimbabwean Criminals -- http://www.bsaphq.f9.co.uk
To: "Zimbabwe Crisis Mailing List":;
From: Zimbabwe Crisis
Subject: ZimCrisis#130 -- Farm Seizures Start with Widow's Eviction
Hi everyone,
I send this story out to highlight the heartlessness of Mugabe and his government. However, having said that, you almost have to laugh (if it wasn't so serious, you would) at what the Mashonaland governor has to say, quoted from the article in the next paragraph:
The Mashonaland provincial governor, Elliot Manyika, who handed over the land, said: "We want them to prepare the land and produce to feed the nation. Infrastructure will follow when we have finished putting the people on the land," he said to the cheers of the new owners. But by Mr Manyika's own admission, the 47 families have no tools or skill in using the farm's equipment, raising serious doubts that they will fulfil his exhortation.
I'd like to get some of whatever dagga he is smoking -- it's obviously good stuff. Putting the cart before the horse is putting it mildly. If these 47 "new" farmers manage to "feed the nation" scratching about on their little plots with "no tools or skill" and before any infrastructure is in place, I'll be reporting a miracle to Rome -- not to mention looking to the sky for flying pigs!
Craig
Special report: Zimbabwe
Andrew Meldrum in Centenary and Chris McGreal in Harare
Friday August 04 2000 The Guardian
The Zimbabwean government has begun its long-promised mass expropriation of white-owned land for redistribution to millions of black peasants with the seizure of the first farms without compensation.
The confiscation of Viewfield Farm in Centenary, an hour's drive from Harare, comes after months of confrontation and violence as President Robert Mugabe vowed to take much of Zimbabwe's fertile land out of the hands of a few thousand white farmers.
Although hundreds of farms have already been illegally occupied by war veterans and their supporters, and several white families forced to flee their homes, Viewfield is the first to be taken by the government after being legally designated for confiscation.
An official messenger served the elderly owner, April Davies, with the papers authorising its seizure. She has 90 days to vacate her house. Her 34 black farm labourers and their families have also been ordered off the property.
The government bussed 47 families, described by local officials as "land starved", to the 1,300-hectare (3,200-acre) tobacco and maize farm. They were allowed to peg out 28 hectares each.
The government says another two dozen farms in the area will be resettled within days and it will use the army to move 500,000 families on to expropriated farms in the coming months.
It described those given land on Viewfield Farm as widows, war veterans and villagers on communal land. Locals say the families were chosen for their loyalty to Mr Mugabe's Zanu-PF party.
The Mashonaland provincial governor, Elliot Manyika, who handed over the land, said: "This is the start of an ongoing exercise to resettle the people before the onset of the rains.
"We want them to prepare the land and produce to feed the nation. Infrastructure will follow when we have finished putting the people on the land," he said to the cheers of the new owners.
But by Mr Manyika's own admission, the 47 families have no tools or skill in using the farm's equipment, raising serious doubts that they will fulfil his exhortation.
Critics warn that wholesale seizure of commercial farms will wreck Zimbabwe's agricultural production and an already battered economy. The finance minister, Simba Makoni, admits that the economy is in "deep crisis" and imposed a sharp devaluation and a block on new public spending in an attempt to revive it.
The government is also scrambling to fend off looming American sanctions aimed at blocking all international finance and US aid to Zimbabwe because of the illegal land seizures and political violence.
White farmers have taken the government to the supreme court, arguing that the land seizures amount to unconstitutional racial discrimination.
In his court application, David Hasluck, the director of the Commercial Farmers Union, concedes that whites dominate land ownership but adds that the confiscations amount to "an assault upon the white farming community, the rape of their properties and the deprivation of their livelihoods".
Mrs Davies's farm was invaded by "war veterans" in March. Within weeks her husband Douglas died of a heart attack. She blames the stress of the land seizure. After the confiscation order was served, Mrs Davies went to Harare to stay with her daughter. She refuses to speak to the press.
Although Mr Mugabe has vowed repeatedly that his government will not pay a penny for the soil he says was originally stolen from blacks by British colonists, the government is legally obliged to compensate Mrs Davies for her house and farm buildings. But the two sides have not even begun to discuss an amount and the farmers union doubts she will see any money soon.
Copyright Guardian Newspapers Limited
Craig
Zimbabwe Crisis Mailing List
http://www.niner.net/zimcrisis
This is currently a manually administered mailing list. To subscribe or unsubscribe, send your request to DELETED. Personal requests for removal will be carried out immediately. Requests from governmental, political or press organisations (or their representatives) will be treated less favourably. The purpose of this list is not necessarily to redistribute published news reports. Rather, it is intended to distribute reports from or directly affecting people in Zimbabwe. If you have seen something before, I apologise. Hopefully that will not be a regular occurrence. Any reports from respondents that are relayed to the mailing list will be done so anonymously.
Brief list of helpful sites on the issue:
- Zimbabwe Crisis mailing list archives -- http://www.niner.net/zimcrisis
- Comprehensive news updates -- http://www.1freespace.com/beetee
- Offers of and requests for help for Zimbabweans -- http://pub9.ezboard.com/boffersofhelp
- Commercial Farmers' Union -- http://www.mweb.co.zw/cfu
- Movement for Democratic Change -- http://www.in2zw.com/mdc
- Zimbabwe Democracy Trust -- http://www.zimbabwedemocracytrust.org
- BSAP Pursuit of Zimbabwean Criminals -- http://www.bsaphq.f9.co.uk
