News / National
Govt issues 3-year idle land ultimatum
14 Jun 2015 at 06:14hrs | Views
GOVERNMENT has given unproductive beneficiaries of the land reform programme a three - year ultimatum to fully utilise their land or lose it to serious farmers who will aid the much-needed economic development.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa said this while addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at a star rally in Bulawayo recently.
"Whoever was given land and is failing to make use of it, we will take it back. We will give them a warning of three years. If they continue sleeping on the land we will ask them to sleep elsewhere and we take our land," he said
VP Mngangagwa said Government was ready to take land that is idle throughout the country and allocate it to farmers that are serious.
"When we took the land from British formers they imposed sanctions on us. They told the President that there was chaos in the country and that it was now riotous. They said we must put law and order. So it is time to work on this land that we fought for," he said.
"There was no textbook which had instructions on how to take our land back and we decided to act by taking the land. There is no land revolution that can be conducted using textbooks; you first of all recover your land and say this is how we did it. We chased away the thieves that had taken our land now those who want to write can now write about how land is taken."
Government recently embarked on a land audit that seeks to redress various issues, among them land disputes, cases of multiple farm ownership, account for land that is being underutilised as well as investigate reports that some resettled farmers were leasing out their farms to white former commercial farmers.
Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Douglas Mombeshora revealed that his ministry had secured $7 million from the European Union and United Nations Development Fund to carry out a two-year land audit programme.
Zanu-PF secretary for land reform and resettlement in the Politburo Cain Mathema also reiterated the
VP Mngangagwa said Government was ready to take land that is idle throughout the country and allocate it to farmers that are serious.
"When we took the land from British farmers they imposed sanctions on us. They told the President that there was chaos in the country and that it was now riotous. They said we must put law and order. So it is time to work on this land that we fought for," he said.
"There was no textbook which had instructions on ho v to take our land back and we decided to act by taking the land. There is no land revolution that can be conducted using textbooks; you first of all recover your land and say this is how we did it. We chased away the thieves that had taken our land now those who want to write can now write about how land is
Another form that has since turned into a white elephant, with neighbouring farmers alleging that it had since become a breeding ground for pests, is one of the Umguza Irrigation lots owned by Mrs Shandu Ciumede, who at one point was the biggest tobacco farmer in the region.
A visit to the form revealed that there is no activity, the houses within the farm are falling apart while in the fields there is no crop at all, save for a few ailing tobacco plants to suggest that this was once a tobacco farm.
Farmers who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that farmers who are part of the irrigation lots had since lodged a complaint with Government noting that Mrs Gumede's farm had since become a breeding ground for pests which were affecting their crops.
Mrs Gumede is in the United Kingdom where she says she is seeking medical attention, with workers alleging that she was raising funds to plant a new crop.
In an interview from her United Kingdom base, Mrs Gumede laid the blame on the low prices of tobacco in the country.
"I am currently in the United Kingdom seeking medical help after I broke my leg in an accident in 2009 and they had inserted a piece of metal on my leg but I still could not walk but right now I am much better as I can walk and I am ready to run things at the farm. I expect that I will be back by July.
"Also the price of tobacco was very low and it really affected me. I got very little from that venture but I will continue this season and try again. I have found an investor who has promised to work with me," she said.
Mrs Gumede said the challenge with farmers was that they were not making an effort to seek private partners who would assist in funding their projects.
"People are afraid to seek investors who can finance their activities, but that is not good. I for one, have found assistance and I have an investor who is helping such that I can even venture into small grains such as sorghum and millet," she said.
VP's sentiments saying idle people needed to go.
"We have to give land to people who are able to use it, what is needed is production. It is not a crime that someone has foiled to use the land, give it to those that are able to utilise it," said Mathema.
He noted that the formers should be aware that Government was not out to destroy them but said there was a need to be productive.
Mathema said Government allocated people land and some were unable to produce anything due to the colonial imbalances.
"We gave people land and there was economic sabotage by the white formers. Our people could not use the land as they had no inputs, tractors and other machinery but now we are doing corrections on the land reform programme," he said
Mathema said the banking sector was the biggest let-down in the country as it was still foreign-owned and unwilling to help formers.
Vice-President Emmerson Mnangagwa said this while addressing thousands of Zanu-PF supporters at a star rally in Bulawayo recently.
"Whoever was given land and is failing to make use of it, we will take it back. We will give them a warning of three years. If they continue sleeping on the land we will ask them to sleep elsewhere and we take our land," he said
VP Mngangagwa said Government was ready to take land that is idle throughout the country and allocate it to farmers that are serious.
"When we took the land from British formers they imposed sanctions on us. They told the President that there was chaos in the country and that it was now riotous. They said we must put law and order. So it is time to work on this land that we fought for," he said.
"There was no textbook which had instructions on how to take our land back and we decided to act by taking the land. There is no land revolution that can be conducted using textbooks; you first of all recover your land and say this is how we did it. We chased away the thieves that had taken our land now those who want to write can now write about how land is taken."
Government recently embarked on a land audit that seeks to redress various issues, among them land disputes, cases of multiple farm ownership, account for land that is being underutilised as well as investigate reports that some resettled farmers were leasing out their farms to white former commercial farmers.
Lands and Rural Resettlement Minister Douglas Mombeshora revealed that his ministry had secured $7 million from the European Union and United Nations Development Fund to carry out a two-year land audit programme.
Zanu-PF secretary for land reform and resettlement in the Politburo Cain Mathema also reiterated the
VP Mngangagwa said Government was ready to take land that is idle throughout the country and allocate it to farmers that are serious.
"When we took the land from British farmers they imposed sanctions on us. They told the President that there was chaos in the country and that it was now riotous. They said we must put law and order. So it is time to work on this land that we fought for," he said.
"There was no textbook which had instructions on ho v to take our land back and we decided to act by taking the land. There is no land revolution that can be conducted using textbooks; you first of all recover your land and say this is how we did it. We chased away the thieves that had taken our land now those who want to write can now write about how land is
Another form that has since turned into a white elephant, with neighbouring farmers alleging that it had since become a breeding ground for pests, is one of the Umguza Irrigation lots owned by Mrs Shandu Ciumede, who at one point was the biggest tobacco farmer in the region.
A visit to the form revealed that there is no activity, the houses within the farm are falling apart while in the fields there is no crop at all, save for a few ailing tobacco plants to suggest that this was once a tobacco farm.
Farmers who spoke on condition of anonymity revealed that farmers who are part of the irrigation lots had since lodged a complaint with Government noting that Mrs Gumede's farm had since become a breeding ground for pests which were affecting their crops.
Mrs Gumede is in the United Kingdom where she says she is seeking medical attention, with workers alleging that she was raising funds to plant a new crop.
In an interview from her United Kingdom base, Mrs Gumede laid the blame on the low prices of tobacco in the country.
"I am currently in the United Kingdom seeking medical help after I broke my leg in an accident in 2009 and they had inserted a piece of metal on my leg but I still could not walk but right now I am much better as I can walk and I am ready to run things at the farm. I expect that I will be back by July.
"Also the price of tobacco was very low and it really affected me. I got very little from that venture but I will continue this season and try again. I have found an investor who has promised to work with me," she said.
Mrs Gumede said the challenge with farmers was that they were not making an effort to seek private partners who would assist in funding their projects.
"People are afraid to seek investors who can finance their activities, but that is not good. I for one, have found assistance and I have an investor who is helping such that I can even venture into small grains such as sorghum and millet," she said.
VP's sentiments saying idle people needed to go.
"We have to give land to people who are able to use it, what is needed is production. It is not a crime that someone has foiled to use the land, give it to those that are able to utilise it," said Mathema.
He noted that the formers should be aware that Government was not out to destroy them but said there was a need to be productive.
Mathema said Government allocated people land and some were unable to produce anything due to the colonial imbalances.
"We gave people land and there was economic sabotage by the white formers. Our people could not use the land as they had no inputs, tractors and other machinery but now we are doing corrections on the land reform programme," he said
Mathema said the banking sector was the biggest let-down in the country as it was still foreign-owned and unwilling to help formers.
Source - Sunday News
