Reduction of farm sizes spot on

Vice President, Cde Emmerson Mnangagwa, recently revealed government's plan to reduce sizes of commercial farms to accommodate a multitude of people who are still in need of farming land. That pronouncement could not have come at any better time.

Zanu-PF Midlands provincial leadership has already endorsed this proposition and has vowed to take the lead in implementing the proposed policy. Kudos to Midlands province. Other provinces must follow suit.
We hope that the promise to downsize farms is not one of the usual talk shows that have been associated with the land issue. Government has come up with a number of policy propositions to correct land ownership inequalities. However, not much has come out of these pronouncements.

At one time, we were made to believe that a land audit would soon be instituted to expose multiple farm owners and subsequently force them to surrender the excess land they are holding onto. What became of that land audit, Dr Douglas Mombeshora?

During the Zanu-PF's 14th National People's Conference, the committee on food security made interesting recommendations on how food security could be improved. It was suggested that land audit must be completed so that there is equitable land ownership.

The issue of land must be treated with utmost importance. It was the need to correct land ownership disparity that forced sons and daughters of this country to join the liberation struggle. It is sad that some of these sons and daughters are not owners of an inch of the land they fought for.

The land reform programme endeared Zanu-PF to the electorate against concerted efforts by the West to oust the revolutionary party through willing tools like the MDC. For this and many other reasons, the land issue must be treated with supreme importance.

It is surprising that even some Chiefs, who are traditionally the custodians of land, have no farms. Nevertheless, Government must be applauded for making a belated intervention, which will ensure that every Chief has a farm under his name.

It does not make any sense for one person to have a farm in excess of 2000 hectares while others are struggling to acquire just a two-hectare plot. This writer is a proud owner of a ten-hectare farm. The output is far much better than that of a neighbour who owns 180 hectares.

 People who own such excessive farms and multiple owners are known. It does not necessarily need to waste state resources to identify such people.

While there are many multiple landowners, most of whom are failing to utilise the land, the waiting list of capable youths and other people who want land is swelling. These youths were too young to get land during the peak of the land reform programme when it was still easy to get a farm.

There are fertile farms that were last tilled some good ten years ago. These are the first category of farms that government must repossess and parcel out to people who can ensure the country's food security. This should be done without any apology as the land belongs to the state.

From idle farms, government should then deal with multiple farm ownership and reduce farm sizes. People should be given a month to surrender excess land, failure of which should result in the forfeiture of all farms that person possesses.

Since the launch of the land reform programme, President Mugabe has been preaching the one man one farm gospel. He has recently changed the theme to one family one farm. The shift was necessitated by the realisation that there is an alarming increase in the demand for land.

Even the First Lady, Dr Grace Mugabe, talked passionately about the need to avail land to every Zimbabwean who needs it. Thus, anyone who continues to hold on to more than one farm is defying the first family and so are those who are not productive on their farms.

As stated earlier on, land is the trump card of the revolutionary party. The unscrupulous beneficiaries of the land reform are therefore, working at cross-purpose with the principles of the revolutionary party. Hence, these people are more lethal than the known enemies of the revolutionary party.

Zimbabwe took a bold move that other countries were scared to take for fear of the western bullies. Some of these countries, like South Africa, are beginning to realise that land reform is the way to go and they are emulating Zimbabwe. We must therefore, set a successful template for the guidance of other countries. We must set a good example of a land reform revolution that will inspire the whole of Africa to take control of their economic destiny.