No land deals with displaced white farmers: Mugabe

GOVERNMENT will investigate reports that some land reform beneficiaries are leasing farms to displaced white former commercial farmers, President Mugabe has said.

The probe will expose the culprits whose farms will be given to those who want land.

Addressing the Zanu-PF National Consultative Assembly last week, the Head of State and Government and Commander-in Chief of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces, said reports suggested that some high-ranking officials were involved.

"Tikaita audit yemapurazi atakapa vanhu unonzwa kuti iyi farm iyi inemurungu arikuseri varikurimirwa nemurungu. It has become so prevalent," President Mugabe said.

He added: "We will go over the entire resettlement areas with this information in our hands and establish the truth."

The President condemned the belief by some Zimbabweans that nothing could succeed without the involvement of whites.

He said it was disappointing to have "people who do not feel that they are adequate human beings".

"Tinoda all the time kuti tiite chinhu chine murungu mukati," President Mugabe said.

He said people should be wary of the white former commercial farmers, as they still wanted the farms back.

"Zvino isu tinobva taramba toti tineva-rungu vedu vanotirimira," President Mugabe said.

Some commercial farmers who fled at the height of land reforms, the President said, were sneaking back into the country.

"Vazere mumaflats nemumahotera. They continue to hope things will turn out in their favour in the future," he said.

The President, however, challenged farmers to start preparing for the new cropping season and pledged inputs support.

He deplored MDC formations that were reluctant to support farmers with inputs, saying Finance Minister Tendai Biti always claims that Treasury has no money.

He said there will be enough fertiliser this season, but people do not have money to buy the inputs.

"We are going to do something about it. The sooner we started looking for funds the better. But of course, you cannot expect funds from Biti," President Mugabe said.

Farmers, he said, were unable to buy inputs because they were yet to be paid for maize they delivered to the Grain Marketing Board.

Treasury is reluctant to release funds to the GMB.

"They must be paid now if they are going to buy fertiliser. We are going into season with courage and determination to double our efforts. We must be able to prepare our fields in good time," President Mugabe said.

The fertiliser industry is sitting on over 100 000 tonnes of fertiliser and raw materials enough to manufacture a similar amount of the product.

Chemplex Corporation chief executive officer Mr Misheck Kachere said: "We have over 100 000 tonnes of fertiliser. We also have raw materials that we have produced and imported stock to produce another 100 000 tonnes."

Chemplex Corporation is the holding company of Zimphos, Zimbabwe Fertiliser Company and Sable Chemicals.

Last year, the local market consumed about 320 000 tonnes of fertiliser, 20 percent of which was imported.

This contributed to a build up in stock and cash flow problems in the industry.

Last year Government, donors and the Presidential Inputs Supply Scheme assisted many resource-starved farmers with fertiliser.

Government embarked on land reform in 2000 to redress colonial imbalances.