Multiple farm-owners defy Mugabe
http://www.theindependent.co.zw/
September 14, 2012 in News
ZANU PF cabinet ministers and other senior government officials, who are
multiple farm-owners, continue to defy President Robert Mugabe’s order to
surrender surplus landholdings in line with their party policy, as it
emerged this week many of them are still clinging onto more than two farms.
Report by Elias Mambo
Following its defeat in a constitutional referendum and in a bid to ward off
mounting political and social discontent, Zanu PF launched a controversial
land reform programme beginning 2000 in which thousands of white commercial
farmers were violently evicted from their farms in a programme Mugabe
claimed was aimed at resettling landless people throughout the country.
However, most of the prime land was taken by senior Zanu PF officials who
now own more than two farms each but are failing to utilise the land which
in some cases has become derelict or lies fallow.
Mugabe’s repeated calls for his party officials to follow the
one-man-one-farm policy and limiting farm sizes according to their
agro-ecological region have largely been ignored. His lieutenants who
grabbed several thousands of hectares of properties are still stubbornly
clinging to them.
The situation is complicated by the fact that Mugabe’s family reportedly
owns many farms, some say over a dozen, something which runs against the
grain of his party policy.
As a result, Mugabe’s cronies have ignored his June 30 2011 deadline to hand
back extra farms to the state. Observers say this has embarrassed Mugabe who
has staked his reputation and election victory on the speedy transfer of
land to majority black Zimbabweans.
Mugabe and his party are currently resisting a government land audit which
has been agreed upon.
The Zimbabwe Independent has been carrying out a verification process on who
owns what from the land reform programme and information gathered shows
ministers, senior civil servants and top Zanu PF officials are still
clinging onto the farms they grabbed through violence and intimidation.
This comes as the Zanu PF politburo on Wednesday condemned the recent
invasions of the Save conservancy in a heated meeting in which Mugabe
lambasted “greedy” party officials who continue to hold on to multiple
farms.
Top government officials have been fingered in different official audits as
multiple farm-owners ignoring the one -man-one-farm policy and restrictions
on farm sizes, a move which underlines the failure of the land reform
programme.
According to information gathered by the Independent, those who still own
multiple farms include Senate president Edna Madzongwe with six farms, Local
Government minister Ignatius Chombo (five), Home Affairs co-minister Kembo
Mohadi (four), Mines minister Obert Mpofu (three), Information and Publicity
minister Webster Shamu (four) and Youth Development, Indigenisation and
Empowerment minister Saviour Kasukuwere (two), among others.
Madzongwe was given an offer letter for Stockdale farm (750 ha) but is said
to be the owner of Aitape farm (2000ha), Couburn Estate (560ha) and Mpofu
farm (450ha), Bourne farm (445ha) and Reyden farm (1340) dotted around the
country.
Chombo has five farms namely Allan Grange (3000ha), Oldham (400ha), Maple
leaf, Glentwyn stand one, and Shingwiri (1600ha) in Chegutu.
Other Zanu PF members who are clinging to or had more than one farm include
the late Sabina Mugabe (three), Leo Mugabe (three), Justice minister Patrick
Chinamasa (two), Grace Mugabe’s late brother Reward Marufu (two) and
retired Air Vice-Marshal Henry Muchena (two).
Mugabe’s family, including close relatives, reportedly own more than 12
farms. Since the controversial land reform programme commenced, several land
audits were commissioned and on numerous occasions blocked by Zanu PF
ministers and war veterans, arguing the process was a witch-hunt targeting
senior party officials and other beneficiaries of the widely criticised land
reform programme.
Early this year, Prime Minister Morgan Tsvangirai urged government to carry
out the long-overdue land audit. Tsvangirai and the MDC-T were reacting to
reports that the Zanu PF land reform department led by Chombo and Lands
minister Herbert Murerwa wanted to undertake a countrywide land audit,
notwithstanding the fact that Murerwa is required to do the same process for
government.
Murerwa is still to undertake a national land audit in terms of the Global
Political Agreement (GPA). According to Article 5.9 of the GPA, government
should conduct a comprehensive, transparent and non-partisan land audit, for
accountability and elimination of multiple farm ownership.
The GPA also seeks to ensure Zimbabweans who are eligible to be allocated
land and who apply are considered irrespective of race, gender, religion,
ethnicity or political affiliation.