Jonathan Maphenduka

AN issue of profound and cruel injustice to the people of Zimbabwe is the insistence by former white farmers that they be compensated for “improvements” of farms they lost through the Land Reform Programme which began in 2000. 

No one — least of all the British government which sponsored the original group of farmers that took this country with the use of devastating arms of war — appears to be concerned about the unethical manner through which the farmers established title to the land. 

Dubbed by the British South Africa Company “The Dawn of Civilisation”, some of the amazing effects in the acquisition of the country which began in 1890 are contained in a document titled the Victoria Secret Agreement of 14 August 1893. 

This is a document of incentives offered to 672 mercenaries to invade Lobengula’s Kingdom following the occupation of Mashonaland. Equally amazingly this document offered no protection to the territory or the people of Mashonaland. 

The result was that the invasion of perfidious Lobengula’s Kingdom was used to consolidate, with all the sins of colonialism, the occupation of Mashonaland. 

This is clearly manifested by the murder of Mbuya Nehanda and Sekuru Kaguvi who are symbols of resistance of colonialism in that region. This followed the 1897 uprising for which Nehanda and Kaguvi were blamed and the people of Mashonaland were blasted with explosives in caves where they had taken refuge. 

Earlier, in 1890, Frank Johnson had been paid 90 000 pounds sterling to lead the historic Mashonaland Pioneers to take Mashonaland which led to the occupation of the territory in September of the same year. Johnson’s men are described in the book The Downfall of Lobengula as “a corps d’lite of Englishmen and colonists, all expert shots” to blast anyone who stood in their way.

The gem of the Victoria Secret Agreement, in addition to 21 000 000 acres which became the property of the mercenaries before they crossed the border into Lobengula’s Kingdom, was the equal sharing of “loot” in the form of 600 000 head of cattle belonging to the Kingdom. 

The agreement also granted protection to the land estate and other claims of any trooper who died in the war.

Later, in 1919, 70 million acres of un-alienated land came up for grabs by the mercenaries, white settlers, the British South Africa Company, with Africans claiming the land as their own but were ignored. 

In a landmark decision, the Privy Council ruled that the disputed land belonged to the Imperial Government but left its administration to the British South Africa Company/Chartered Company for five years until 1923 when it was taken over by white settlers. Until then the British South Africa Company held licence to deal in contraband in the form stolen African land.

However, the juggled ownership of the disputed land was finally laid to rest in 1979 when the British government shot itself in the foot by annulling white claims on the land. Then why must the African people compensate the so-called former white farmers? Even when it is granted that colonial vagaries were capable of anything, what is the legal basis for the so-called former white farmers’ claim when the British government restored to the African people the land that had been taken by armed brigands?

In addition each of the 672 mercenaries got 10 000 pounds sterling from the British South Africa Company. In December 1894 the Imperial Government promulgated the notorious Matabeleland Orders in Council to “regularise what had been started by the British South Africa Company”. 

But in the British scheme of things does “regularising” a horrendous wrongdoing make the act defensible? Why is your government supporting the former farmers against the people of Zimbabwe? Why is your government, after signing the 1979 Constitution, blackmailing my country with sanctions to pay farmers for a fraudulent claim? 

The issue in the compensation case is that the farmers suffered loss improving the farms they got under the incentives contained in the Victoria Secret Agreement. This is totally and absolutely ludicrous in as much as it is unlawful. Moreover the whole idea of paying compensation to the farmers negates all the norms for reparation as have been established in the international sphere. 

Great Britain was a leading member of the tribunal that administered the Holocaust reparations for Jews who suffered unspeakable crimes at the hands of Nazi Germany. Why is it that Zimbabweans who suffered violence and dispossession of their land and other valuables on a horrendous scale are being forced to compensate those who violently took their land, minerals and livestock? Is it because of the skin colour of the victims of colonialism?

 The title deeds of the former white farmers have been lodged with the British Government to enable the United Kingdom to blackmail this country with sanctions. 

The famous British standard of Right and Justice, which historically has for centuries been sung from the hilltop as a peculiar British standard for humanity, has been swept under the carpet in this regard to satisfy the bloated avarice of those who benefited under the Victoria Secret Agreement. 

The British Parliament went viral recently broaching and debating the prospects of returning to recolonise this country. The Honourable Members of Parliament forgot one vital thing: passing another spurious “Order in Council” to legalise the claim by former white farmers to be compensated for stealing this country. 

Great Britain’s coercive and punitive measures are being applied across the board against every Zimbabwean, irrespective of age and disability, to incite and inflame rebellion. Disabled Zimbabweans of all ages, who live on money provided by relatives in the diaspora, are being taxed to put money in the government’s compensation kitty. Your government keeps sneering about targeted sanctions! 

– Jonathan Maphenduka is a retired journalist. He can be reached on 0772 332 404