JOE HANLON JAENETTE MAJENGWA AND TERESA SMART AS WELL AS IAN SCOONES HAVE BEEN PAID BY DICTATOR ROBERT MUGABE TO WRITE A MYTHICAL BOOK ENTITLED ZIMBABWE TAKES BACK ITS LAND. REPORTS SUGGEST THESE ENTITIES WORK FOR MUGABES SECRET POLICE IN COLLABIRATION WITH BRITISH GOVERNMENT TO UNDERMINE COMPENSATION TO IMPROVEMENTS OF THE LAND
Whilst there are some A2 farmers who have made a success out of their allocation of land, it is on a much smaller scale than what was previously being done. In addition, as mentioned in this blog, many of those who have been allocated land are ex-army generals, teachers and doctors. They tend to practice a form of ‚weekend farming‘ which is highly ineffectual.
In addition, the cost of land reform is much wider than the displaced white commercial farmers. Millions of former farm workers have been evicted or are forced to work the land of new farmers for free in exchange for being allowed to remain in their homes on the farms. Many are foreigners who have been in Zimbabwe for decades and have nowhere else to go, and the remaining few are expected to return to rural areas where they carry out subsistence farming as they cannot find jobs and have not been allocated land themselves.
Even some farmers who have been allocated land and have made attempts to make it successful and productive, with whatever limited resources and training they have received, have since had their offer letters withdrawn for political reasons.
Without transparency and security of tenure and with a continued culture of impunity, the land reform programme cannot be considered a success.
So when you visit Zimbabwe, visit Masvingo where Prof. Scoones did his research, but also venture out into Nyazura, Chegutu and Chinhoyi and see the incredibly destuctive impact land reform has had on agriculture but more importantly on the people of Zimbabwe — the very people it was meant to benefit.