Zanu-PF chefs panic over farms

A government review of farms protected under Bilateral Investment Promotion and Protection Agreements (BIPPAs) has triggered anxiety among senior Zanu-PF and government figures, amid fears that some properties acquired during the land reform programme could be returned to original foreign investors.

The review affects farms protected under international treaties signed before the fast-track land reform programme of the early 2000s, which reshaped Zimbabwe's agricultural landscape but also created a politically connected class of large-scale farmers.

Over the past two decades, many senior officials and politically linked individuals acquired former commercial farms, often under arrangements seen as secure due to political backing and state protection.

However, the renewed scrutiny is linked to the government's broader push for international re-engagement, debt restructuring and efforts to attract foreign investment.

Agriculture Minister Anxious Masuka recently told Parliament that 67 farms covered under BIPPA arrangements would be returned to original investors, signalling a potential shift in long-standing land tenure arrangements.

The development has reportedly unsettled several politically exposed farmers, including former minister Prisca Mupfumira, Zimbabwe's ambassador to Belarus Ignatius Mudzimba, and businessman Richard Ziki, among others.

In Mashonaland West, some affected farmers have expressed concern over the uncertainty, while others say they have not been formally notified of any eviction or transfer processes.

Former Mashonaland West governor Faber Chidarikire criticised the move, arguing that it undermines the gains of the land reform programme.

"I am not happy with such an arrangement that takes land from blacks and gives it to whites," Chidarikire said.

Prominent farmer Richard Ziki said he had not yet received official communication regarding the status of his farm, Highbury, though he acknowledged awareness of the ongoing review.

Former Norton MP Temba Mliswa questioned the logic of compensating former owners while simultaneously restoring land ownership, suggesting instead that joint ventures could be a more practical solution.

"If you are compensating them, why give them back the farms?" Mliswa said. "They can enter into partnerships with current farmers."

Farmer and former MDC legislator Allan Markham called for greater transparency, urging government to publicly disclose the list of affected farms and beneficiaries currently occupying them.

Despite the controversy, Minister Masuka insisted that the process does not reverse land reform, maintaining that the redistribution of land remains permanent.

"Now the people are with their land and the land with its masters," he said. "Land reform is therefore irreversible."

The land reform programme, initiated in the early 2000s, was intended to address historical land ownership imbalances but has remained one of Zimbabwe's most politically sensitive and economically consequential policies, particularly as the government now balances domestic political interests with international legal obligations under BIPPAs.