2002: (Former Rhodesia): Farms go to Mugabe’s Friends

(:E-:N-:R-AZ:C-30:V)   

[Mugabe and all his elite including military officers, generals, etc – all suddenly got lovely farms that had been owned by People. For years they were dishing out farms to their friends, family, lovers, etc. All stolen from PEOPLE! Jan]

Original Post Date: 2002-01-05 Time: 21:21:54 Posted By: Jan

Zimbabwe Politicians, Journalists Get Seized Land

Last Updated: January 04, 2002 09:15 AM ET

HARARE (Reuters) – The Zimbabwean government published Friday more names

of new land owners, including politicians and journalists, who have

benefited from President Robert Mugabe’s seizure of white-owned farms.

The latest list published in the state-owned Herald newspaper includes

dozens of leading personalities, many of them associated with Mugabe’s

ruling ZANU-PF party.

The government began this week releasing the names of new land owners who

have sought commercial farm plots seized under a controversial program of

redistributing white-owned farms to landless people.

Friday’s list included Transport and Communications Deputy Minister Paul

Mangwana, four ZANU-PF members of parliament, and Paul Madzore, a

parliamentarian from the opposition Movement for Democratic Change.

It also named seven journalists working for state media, a prominent

musician and a town mayor.

The Herald has published more than 1,000 names a day since Monday and the

government says more than 100,000 applicants have sought commercial farm

plots under the program.

The first list included Agripa Gava, an executive member of the

independence war veterans association,

and former local government deputy minister Tony Gara.

“NOT FOR CRONIES”

Agriculture Minister Joseph Made says the lists of names would show the

world that land reform enjoyed national support and was not merely for

cronies of government leaders.

The land drive began in February 2000 when self-styled war veterans

invaded hundreds of white-owned farms. Two months later, the government

began listing farms targeted for seizure under the “fast-track

resettlement” program.

To date nearly 5,000 farms have been listed under the plan.

Critics accuse Mugabe of using the land issue to win votes ahead of

presidential elections scheduled for

March in which he faces a stiff challenge from MDC leader Morgan

Tsvangirai.

Last Friday, Zimbabwe’s High Court ordered that a farmer evicted

from his two farms under the land program be allowed to retrieve property

from the farms.

Guy Watson-Smith appealed to the High Court after he was evicted in

September from his Elim and

Alamein farms, among the largest white-owned farms in Zimbabwe.

Watson-Smith said in court papers the eviction was instigated by retired

army commander Solomon Mujuru, a senior member of ZANU-PF party.

The Commercial Farmers Union, grouping 4,500 mostly- farmers, said

Mujuru was among ZANU-PF officials, including civil servants and army

officers, who are taking up farming plots under the land reform program.

farmers say the government has failed to honor a pact brokered in

Nigeria in September to implement a fair and orderly land reform program

in exchange for funding from former colonial power Britain.

Mugabe’s government has insisted it is complying with the agreement.

www.reuters.com

Source: http://archive.africancrisis.info/?p=418

---

---

---