Mnangagwa meets undersiege farmers

VICE-PRESIDENT Emmerson Mnangagwa finally met commercial famers’ representatives last week to discuss the growing unease over the security situation in the farming community.

BY RICHARD CHIDZA

The meeting follows a NewsDay story exposing underhand dealings by State officials as well as Zanu PF activists who were allegedly forcing anyone seeking to meet Mnangagwa to pay a “fee”.

Commercial Framers’ Union (CFU) director Hendrick Olivier confirmed the meeting in an interview with NewsDay yesterday.

“Your information is correct indeed. We met the deputy president and he undertook to look into our concerns regarding the security situation in the country’s farming community,” he said.

“The farming season is upon us and there is need for stability if we are to achieve the targets we have set for ourselves to feed the nation.”

While Mnangagwa was not available for comment as he is currently out of the country on government business, NewsDay has it on good authority that the Vice-President met Olivier last Wednesday.

“The meeting mainly centred on farming disruptions, farmers being prosecuted and those facing evictions. Court orders and contempt thereof was also discussed. The Vice-President undertook to look into each incident and, if necessary, liaise with Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement (Douglas Mombeshora) with a plan to provide feedback to the CFU,” part of a briefing provided to members of the CFU following the meeting showed.

NewsDay reported last week that Olivier had been asked to pay “anything from $500” if he wanted to meet Mnangagwa.

However, the Vice-President denied any links with the malcontents.

“I don’t do that . . . tell the police to arrest them, they are thieves who are abusing my good name. Please tell the police to get them arrested. It’s bad. I will not tolerate such things,” he told NewsDay last week.

According to Olivier, 23 farmers were facing eviction threats, the same number facing prosecution and 15 farming operations have stopped because of disruptions or threats.

Among the affected farms were those protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (Bippas) signed between governments.

The CFU director was “optimistic” that a solution would be found.

“Most of these disruptions and prosecutions are in Masvingo, Mashonaland Central and Matabeleland South,” he said.

“I am optimistic that through the office of the Vice-President, a lasting solution will be found. I believe that every farmer on the land now should get a 99-year lease. There is enough land for all of us and the VP did undertake to expend all efforts towards this problem.”

There have also been sporadic reports of robberies by armed gangs including one comprising men clad in police and military uniforms.

The CFU in an alert warned its members to be on the lookout for “three criminals”.

“One was dressed in a brown police uniform with a cap. Another was dressed in the blue police uniform and the third was dressed in camouflage (army),” the CFU said, adding a farmer and his wife in Masvingo had been the latest victims.

Olivier has previously indicated that reports have been made to police by specific farmers who have been victims of these robberies.

Zimbabwe’s agricultural sector has remained volatile since government sponsored widespread invasions of white-owned land at the turn of the millennium in a bid to redress colonial land imbalances that attracted negative publicity and disrupted the once thriving sector.