War veterans demand land audit before farm restitution

The Zimbabwe People's Revolutionary Army War Veterans Association has called for a comprehensive land audit before government proceeds with the planned return of 67 farms protected under Bilateral Investment Protection and Promotion Agreements (BIPPAs).

The intervention follows government's announcement that it intends to return farms owned by foreign nationals under investment treaties, a move war veterans say must balance constitutional obligations, historical justice and economic stability.

ZPRA deputy spokesperson Joackim Moyo said land remains central to Zimbabwe's liberation history, national identity and economic independence and should therefore be handled cautiously.

Moyo warned that the land issue "should neither be used to cover up nor drum up support and survival for failure."

He said colonial land dispossession during the Rhodesian era triggered the liberation struggle, adding that land reform remains "a historical, political and economic commodity of pure national definition and progression".

While defending the gains of land reform, Moyo acknowledged Zimbabwe's constitutional and international obligations relating to property rights, compensation and bilateral investment agreements.

"The liberation struggle was never a struggle for lawlessness, but for justice, dignity and equitable land ownership," he said.

"Zimbabwe must protect the gains of independence while respecting lawful agreements, compensation frameworks and constitutional governance."

The war veterans also questioned what they described as unequal access to land after resettlement, arguing that politically connected elites benefited disproportionately compared to ordinary liberation war fighters.

Moyo said any restitution process should first be guided by a detailed land audit focusing on multiple farm ownership and underutilised land.

He said land should serve national priorities such as food security, employment creation, exports and economic development "regardless of race, provided national sovereignty is respected as enshrined in the 2013 Constitution of Zimbabwe."

According to Moyo, while most resettled land remains protected from legal challenge, compensation for improvements is recognised under the law, while farms protected under BIPPAs carry additional safeguards through international treaties.

"As veterans of the liberation struggle, we maintain that the land issue arose from colonial dispossession and remains central to Zimbabwe's independence and correction of historical injustice," he said.

Moyo added that the restitution programme must be implemented in an orderly and fair manner, warning against forced removals of current occupants.

Meanwhile, Anxious Masuka, the Minister of Agriculture, told Parliament that the 67 farms earmarked for restitution are owned by nationals from Denmark, Switzerland, Germany and Netherlands and are protected under bilateral agreements signed before the year 2000.

"We are in the process of returning those to them," Masuka said.

He said the initiative forms part of broader efforts to restore international relations and support Zimbabwe's debt resolution and re-engagement agenda.

Masuka further revealed that government was processing restitution involving 840 farms owned by black farmers and around 400 owned by white farmers under a wider land compensation programme.

Former Speaker of Parliament Lovemore Moyo urged authorities to manage the process transparently and honour international agreements in order to rebuild investor confidence.

He said compensation should focus on improvements made on the land rather than the land itself, which legally belongs to the State.

Moyo also called for independent valuation processes and protection for black farmers who benefited from the land reform programme.

He warned that continued uncertainty surrounding land ownership was discouraging investment and undermining agricultural productivity.

"This process must become a win-win situation for black farmers, white farmers and the government," he said.