Trading or no transaction? Zimbabwe is still split on land after white farmers are expelled 25 years ago
A quarter of a century after seizing the land in a chaotic land reform program, a small group of white Zimbabwean farmers accepted the government’s disputed compensation agreement.
Once the backbone of the country's agricultural sector, many of whom are now older, obviously vulnerable, fighting disease and economically desperate.
Arthur Baisley, 71, told the BBC that he said: “I believe this is the only opportunity.
Still under post-operative surgery, Baisley was one of the people who arrived at the conference room in the capital Harare earlier this year – some were assisted by crutches and walking frames – discussing the deal.
What was collected is that these farmers now pay only 1% of their total cash compensation – the rest are bonds denominated in USD that mature over 10 years – paying 2% interest per year.
The Land Reform Plan is a land reform plan that invades the country by supporters of the late Robert Mugabe.
“My family was having a hard time at first, but life went on and you had to keep moving forward.
Epilepsy seizures became the largest modern agrarian revolution in Africa, when blacks were forced to leave the land, which was originally intended to correct the land grab in the colonial era. But this put the country on the road to colliding with Western countries – the ensuing economic sanctions, the company exited and collapsed.
Mugabe’s successor president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, pushed for the compensation deal, who is keen on tinkering with the fence. The money donated to farmers as stipulated by the Constitution is used to improve infrastructure and land – such as buildings and dams, rather than the value of the land itself, the Zimbabwean government insists that it was illegally seized from the country's original residents.
Overall, this is estimated at $3.5 billion (£2.6 billion). However, the recent cash payments totaled $3.1 million, 378 farms.
Mr. Besley said it wasn't the best deal, but it was fairly fair – his decision to accept it had realized that the acquisition could not be cancelled.
“It’s hard for my family to move on at first,” he said, adding that he will start selling some bonds immediately to offset medical expenses and take care of his parents.
This is a major shift, a softening of the hard lines previously drawn on both sides.
In 2000, it fits with President Robert Mugabe to push for land reform in the face of opposition support to support him [AFP/Getty Images]
Mugabe once smashed the podium at a party rally, saying that white peasants should go to Britain, former colonial forces, to compensate them for their compensation–though he quietly paid the selected peasants.
Meanwhile, white farmers insist on achieving a $10 billion all-cash settlement. Both sides settled on the $3.5 billion figure.
However, unlike Mr Baisley, most white farmers insist on a deal that will make all cash payable in advance.
Deon Theron was forced to leave the farm he bought after independence in 2008, leading more than 1,000 farmers who rejected the proposal.
His property box was rushing to fill people as he set out, still filling the balcony of the Harare home, and he told me the deal was unfair because there was no guarantee that the bond would be cashed in 10 years.
Deon Theron's farmer faction wants to pay in cash and believes the UK government should help the negotiations [BBC]
The 71-year-old said it was obvious that the government had no money – he wanted to see the international community, including the UK, helping negotiate when the government refused to make people bother, and even met with groups that disagree.
He told the BBC: “The British cannot sit in the gazebo and watch what's going on because they are part of it. They are connected to our history. They can't leave it.”
In an agreement to advance independence, Britain would support land reform economically – but it was in trouble when the labor government mobilized power and relations in the late 1990s.
The need to re-engage in the UK reparations was the battle of many veterans leading the farm invasion. They fought in the 1970s war against the white minority rule – after independence, the slow pace of land reform was disappointed.
But like white farmers, war veterans were also allocated for the government to handle compensation.
Godfrey Gurira is part of a group of veterans suing the government – saying that it is too much to agree to white farmers in times of financial hardship [BBC]
A faction is suing the government for “secretly” agreeing to pay $3.5 billion in damages, saying the offer should be reached in parliament.
One of its leader, Godfrey Gurira, said it should not prioritize white farmers given the myriad economic challenges facing Zimbabwe, a cash-strapped Zimbabwe.
“For a country of our size, it's a huge number. People are suffering, they can hardly make ends meet, hospitals have nothing, then we have extravagant money to pay $3.5 billion. We think it's unnecessary to act.”
The second lawsuit challenges an aspect of the new land policy that requires new farmers to pay for land in order to obtain ownership deeds to directly own the land.
After the reallocation, the 250,000 people who replaced 2,500 white farmers were only entitled to a 99-year lease. However, this means that they are nearly impossible to obtain a bank loan because they cannot guarantee their term of office security.
Last year, the government said farmers could apply to own their own land directly – with a deed of ownership – but they would need to pay between $100 and $500 (2.47 acres) per hectare.
According to the government, the money will be signed with white farmers.
Those who challenge this claim to force black farmers to repurchase land effectively are in conflict with the law.
The black farmers themselves were allocated on this issue.
The results of the land reform plan are different. Many new farmers do not have the skills, finances and labor to successfully cultivate. However, the country's agricultural sector is now bounced back with successful farmers.
In 2002, Solomon Ganye arrived on a bicycle and obtained 20 hectares of exposed land in southern Harare.
It is part of a sprawling 2700 hectares of farm, which is divided into 77 people.
He found the first few years to be a struggle – suffering from a lack of financial and climate shock. But slowly ploughed the tobacco industry through Chinese money and handed over the business to his son – both agricultural graduates improved in their 20s.
They have built enviable businesses with 200 permanent workers and expanded to dairy and livestock cultivation. They are applying for deeds for ownership of the land and have even obtained more acquisitions from the government in recent years.
“Honestly, we’re taking farming to another level…we’re doing more than whites do in terms of tobacco quality and leaves.
His eldest son, Aaron Ganye, told the BBC that his family might not be able to buy a farm without a land reform program because the past ownership structure saw a family owning a large amount of land.
The 25-year-old proudly said: “To be honest, we have taken farming to another level, because now we live a good life through farming. We do more in doing tobacco quality and leaves than white people do.”
“We have invested in technology. It's not easy. I'm now motivating more farmers to do their jobs here,” he said.
He does believe that new farmers should contribute to payroll payments, but based on the value of the infrastructure they inherited.
The agricultural sector is rebounding – the highest tobacco production ever this year [Getty Images]
On the political side, tensions are also eased – the British government no longer has any Zimbabweans on its sanctions list, recently overturning four military and government officials it has been accused of human rights violations.
The Foreign Office of the United Kingdom, Commonwealth and Development, told the BBC that this is because they are no longer in the position they held when they were added to the list in 2021.
Nevertheless, this is a significant development that marks the end of more than 20 years of sanctions against Zimbabwe.
Now, the country hopes that farmers’ compensation issues can be properly addressed to gain support from the West for ongoing negotiations on restructuring large-scale foreign debt.
There is no doubt that 25 years have passed, and the peace has returned to almost all aspects of agriculture.
Agriculture is rebounding, with farmers selling 300,000 tons of tobacco at auction this year – the highest tobacco production ever.
However, compromise is required in all aspects to completely overcome the obstacles to land reform and its consequences.
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