News / National
Mugabe moots tough land ownership and Indigenisation amendment laws against whites
09 Jul 2014 at 03:05hrs | Views
Revised land law might give ultimatum to the remaining white farmers to cede their farms for good.
COLOGNE/HARARE - President Robert Mugabe, is reportedly lining his political ducks in a row, in preparation of pushing for a possible new regime of egregious laws to amend the country's land reform and indigenisation legislation against white ownership, The Telescope News reported.
The revelations coming from leaked information, from high level intelligence officials to our Harare correspondent, comes in the wake of Mugabe last week calling for an end to white commercial farmers in the country, saying they cannot be allowed to own land, but city apartments and factories alone.
It has now come to light that the country's feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), is the reason behind Mugabe's new attack on the remaining 150 white farmers during a rally in Mashonaland West, after the agency recently compiled an "explosive report" implicating some of his cabinet ministers and top government officials, in sub-leasing their farms to whites, while others including black entrepreneurs are allegedly playing "fronts" to white investors to circumvent the country's indigenisation drive, causing the Zanu PF strongmen to seethe with anger and feeling betrayed.
"I have been given a list of 35 white farmers in Mashonaland West alone," Mugabe told a loyal party crowd in Mhangura. "We say no to whites owning our land and they should go. … They can own companies and apartments…but not the soil. It is ours and that message should ring loud and clear in Britain and the United States."
They had been conflicting media reports in the capital lately that, government was considering to revise it's controversial indigenisation law, and was willing to be flexible with foreign investors, after Mugabe gave a ray of hope in April during the commemoration of Independence Day. "If an outside investor brings to the country his resources to establish a company, we will not stick to the 51-49 shareholding, but would negotiate," Mugabe said.
However it would appear, the talk of softening the law, is all but sugar-coated propaganda. The European Union (EU) and the United States of America have told Mugabe's government to enact into law the so called "policy relaxation" on indigenisation regulations, if Harare is not leading the International Community down a garden path.
"The CIO has been secretly monitoring the business activities of some ministers and prominent government officials, and have established that they are people close to the President, who give him solidarity during the day, yet they betray the State by night, by doing business with enemies of the State," said our contact. "They are sub-leasing lucrative farms to their white friends, and buying into companies across all economic sectors with money, which does not belong to them either, therefore defeating the whole goal and purpose of black economic empowerment. The Intelligence has recommended the introduction of amendment laws, to Indigenisation and land reform, to make provisions allowing for 100 percent land ownership by blacks, and at least 80 percent company ownership by locals in all sectors to prevent the reverse of national development, which an excited new government might be tempted to do."
Some of the ministers implicated, include:
Things might hot-up to the point of Mugabe making a cabinet reshuffle, but other sources maintain the chances might be remote since, those implicated are making frontic efforts to either cover their tracks, or explaining themselves to Mugabe through party representatives for pardon.
In 2000, when the fast-track land blitz began, there were about 4 000 white commercial farmers owning tobacco, maize, sugar, and wheat farms. Now the number has dropped to just 150. Many of the exiled farmers, are now settled in Australia, New Zealand, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Nigeria.
According to the lands and rural resettlement ministry, Zimbabwe has a total land area of 39.6 million hectares. Thirty-three million hectares are reserved for agriculture while the rest is reserved for national parks, forests and urban settlements.The agricultural sector, the ministry says, contributes about 33 percent of formal employment and accounts for over 40 percent of national exports.
COLOGNE/HARARE - President Robert Mugabe, is reportedly lining his political ducks in a row, in preparation of pushing for a possible new regime of egregious laws to amend the country's land reform and indigenisation legislation against white ownership, The Telescope News reported.
The revelations coming from leaked information, from high level intelligence officials to our Harare correspondent, comes in the wake of Mugabe last week calling for an end to white commercial farmers in the country, saying they cannot be allowed to own land, but city apartments and factories alone.
It has now come to light that the country's feared Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO), is the reason behind Mugabe's new attack on the remaining 150 white farmers during a rally in Mashonaland West, after the agency recently compiled an "explosive report" implicating some of his cabinet ministers and top government officials, in sub-leasing their farms to whites, while others including black entrepreneurs are allegedly playing "fronts" to white investors to circumvent the country's indigenisation drive, causing the Zanu PF strongmen to seethe with anger and feeling betrayed.
"I have been given a list of 35 white farmers in Mashonaland West alone," Mugabe told a loyal party crowd in Mhangura. "We say no to whites owning our land and they should go. … They can own companies and apartments…but not the soil. It is ours and that message should ring loud and clear in Britain and the United States."
They had been conflicting media reports in the capital lately that, government was considering to revise it's controversial indigenisation law, and was willing to be flexible with foreign investors, after Mugabe gave a ray of hope in April during the commemoration of Independence Day. "If an outside investor brings to the country his resources to establish a company, we will not stick to the 51-49 shareholding, but would negotiate," Mugabe said.
However it would appear, the talk of softening the law, is all but sugar-coated propaganda. The European Union (EU) and the United States of America have told Mugabe's government to enact into law the so called "policy relaxation" on indigenisation regulations, if Harare is not leading the International Community down a garden path.
"The CIO has been secretly monitoring the business activities of some ministers and prominent government officials, and have established that they are people close to the President, who give him solidarity during the day, yet they betray the State by night, by doing business with enemies of the State," said our contact. "They are sub-leasing lucrative farms to their white friends, and buying into companies across all economic sectors with money, which does not belong to them either, therefore defeating the whole goal and purpose of black economic empowerment. The Intelligence has recommended the introduction of amendment laws, to Indigenisation and land reform, to make provisions allowing for 100 percent land ownership by blacks, and at least 80 percent company ownership by locals in all sectors to prevent the reverse of national development, which an excited new government might be tempted to do."
Some of the ministers implicated, include:
- A senior cabinet member with interests in banking and diamond mining.
- Another close minister to Mugabe, who owns massive real estate in the capital.
- A senior Zanu PF member, who is a secret shareholder in a textile concern in Chegutu.
- Youthful minister with cinema business.
- Heavyweight party member involved in exporting flowers and citrus products.
Things might hot-up to the point of Mugabe making a cabinet reshuffle, but other sources maintain the chances might be remote since, those implicated are making frontic efforts to either cover their tracks, or explaining themselves to Mugabe through party representatives for pardon.
In 2000, when the fast-track land blitz began, there were about 4 000 white commercial farmers owning tobacco, maize, sugar, and wheat farms. Now the number has dropped to just 150. Many of the exiled farmers, are now settled in Australia, New Zealand, Zambia, Mozambique, Kenya, and Nigeria.
According to the lands and rural resettlement ministry, Zimbabwe has a total land area of 39.6 million hectares. Thirty-three million hectares are reserved for agriculture while the rest is reserved for national parks, forests and urban settlements.The agricultural sector, the ministry says, contributes about 33 percent of formal employment and accounts for over 40 percent of national exports.
Source - www.thetelescopenews.com
