This is a report sent to the South African daily newspaper “Beeld” on 31st July 1986
MUGABE PRAISES WHITE FARMERS FOR HELPING TO FEED ZIMBABWE
By Trevor Grundy
Harare, Zimbabwe —White farmers in Zimbabwe today received a pat on the back for their loyalty since Independence six years ago.
Opening the annual congress of the Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) at a city hotel Prime Minister Robert Mugabe said that the white commercial farmers had helped feed Zimbabwe .
“A nation that can feed itself is standing on its own two feet,” he told CFU delegates.
Over four hundred farmers showed pleasure when Mr Mugabe –the man they most loved to hate during the Rhodesian War (1972-1979) spoke of the “great achievement and resilience” white farers had shown during the fights against the effects of a recent drought and world economic recession following his country’s independence from Britain in April 1980.
He said that the annual growth rate in the agriculture sector was 4.5 percent while the population growth rate was 3.6 percent.
The value of all agricultural commodities had gone up from Z$s 498 million in 1980 to Z$s 949 million in 1984.
Mr Mugabe joined in the applause when the outgoing President of the CFU, Mr John Laurie received the Farming Oscar. The co-recipient was Jill, Mr Laurie’s wife.
During his speech, which was listened to most carefully by the country’s security chief, Mr Emmerson Mnangagwa, the prime minister said that farmers must pay not only the legal minimum wage to labourers but also offer annual increments.
Mr Laurie suggested that farmers should make greater efforts to provide decent housing. “Some are letting the farming side down,” he declared.
Agriculture is the largest single employer of workers in Zimbabwe . To provide them all workers in the industry with decent accommodation would be the equivalent of providing houses for the combined total populations of nineteen towns in this country.
Observers at the opening of this year’s CFU congress said that the atmosphere was “more relaxed than ever before.”
Another described Mr Mugabe’s speech which was full of praise for white farmers as “a stunning turnaround. We once hated him but no longer.”
Mr Mugabe also revealed that thanks to the government, army, police and CIO there were two hundreds members of the militia in Matabeleland guarding white-owned farms against anti-government forces called here “dissidents.”
ENDS