Manicaland Bureau
Farmers should not allow their attention to be diverted from preparing their land for the forthcoming season by the lies being peddled that they will lose their land to white former commercial farmers under the Global Compensation Deed, which covers improvements only and carefully excludes land.

Zanu PF Women’s League Secretary for Administration, Cde Monica Mutsvangwa, told the Manicaland Provincial Coordinating Committee extraordinary meeting in Mutare that the Global Compensation Deed would not reverse the progress made on land over the past two decades.

“Following the signing of the Global Compensation Deed, you might have heard a lot of outcry,” said Cde Mutsvangwa, who is also the Minister of Information, Publicity and Broadcasting Services.

“This is emanating from the fact that the issue of land is very important. The reason why young fighters went to war was to address that. The land redistribution will never be reversed. Those who were given land and have offer letters will not lose them. They will now wait for their 99-year leases.

“We want the message to spread to the grassroots now that we are approaching the farming season and we are expecting a good rainy season. Those spreading falsehoods that people will lose their land just want to divert people’s attention from preparing their land and focus on worrying.”

Cde Mutsvangwa said people spreading the fear were those throwing spanners in the efforts by President Mnangagwa’s administration to transform the economy.

“Zimbabwe is a country which respects the rule of law and the Constitution,” she said.

“We are happy that this Constitution was people-driven and the Government is very particular on fulfilling the wishes of the people.

“It is very surprising that the same people from the MDC who are raising the issue in Parliament now were against the Land Reform Programme in the first place. Now they are at the forefront of questioning why white farmers are being compensated.

“They are realising that President Mnangagwa has succeeded in uniting Zimbabweans to address outstanding land issues and are trying to destroy that understanding.”

Cde Mutsvangwa said the white former farmers would only be compensated for improvements made on the farms and not the land itself.