Opinion / Columnist
Zimbabwe government evictions after 8 months on new farms
28 Dec 2016 at 18:06hrs | Views
So Tongaat Hulett packed their bags and left Zimbabwe because of production levels becoming so low thanks to the poor weather while fixed costs remaining extra high. Zimbabwe lost some farmers to Mozambique, but this I will rage about on another day.
Our ever so generous ZANU government decided to share the land and award it to some selected people, namely diaspora returnees, widows, and national heroes' children. They must have been ever so grateful when they were given the land. This happened 8 months ago. I can only imagine how grateful these families were celebrating as Christmas approached. Little did they know what lay in store for them just around the corner? They must have felt very fortunate to be blessed with land considering how expensive land has become in Zimbabwe.
So the bread got pulled out of their mouths at Christmas, very rude Santa! This group of recipients got eviction letters before they could celebrate a year on their newly acquired land. That must have felt a rug being pulled from under their feet. Never mind how they got awarded the land in the first place. That is a story for another day of course.
The Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Douglas Mombeshora said" that the withdrawal of the offers had been made under the provisions of the land reform and resettlement programme".
My question is did this resettlement programme take into consideration that they are dealing with families? To uproot families at such short notice shows how uncaring this government is. We can only hope that where ever they lived 8 months ago is still available otherwise they will have to be on the streets. Woo unto those who wholeheartedly trusted the government gestures of free land and sold out their previous assets. They have been taken for a ride.
The question that remains unanswered is whether they would have been able to put the land into good use. Were they going to use the land appropriately and produce enough to feed their families and a surplus to pass onto the rest of the Zimbabwean market? Or were they going to waste the land and instead turn it into large playgrounds where soil erosion would have told a good story. I guess we will never find out as they have been shown the door.
But all is not lost with that land as we will surely soon see the big wigs being allocated the same land. They have been evicted to make way for the Chefs, after all they need the money as their pockets are not fat enough. Amazing what knowing the "right people" can get you in Zimbabwe.
So I guess it is back to the Diaspora for the ex-diasporas folk if they can still afford flight tickets and for the rest of the locals it is a case of each man for himself and God for us all. All in a day's work.
Sipho Sibanda, Europe ZAWU Chairperson , writing in her personal capacity.
Our ever so generous ZANU government decided to share the land and award it to some selected people, namely diaspora returnees, widows, and national heroes' children. They must have been ever so grateful when they were given the land. This happened 8 months ago. I can only imagine how grateful these families were celebrating as Christmas approached. Little did they know what lay in store for them just around the corner? They must have felt very fortunate to be blessed with land considering how expensive land has become in Zimbabwe.
So the bread got pulled out of their mouths at Christmas, very rude Santa! This group of recipients got eviction letters before they could celebrate a year on their newly acquired land. That must have felt a rug being pulled from under their feet. Never mind how they got awarded the land in the first place. That is a story for another day of course.
The Minister of Lands and Rural Resettlement Douglas Mombeshora said" that the withdrawal of the offers had been made under the provisions of the land reform and resettlement programme".
The question that remains unanswered is whether they would have been able to put the land into good use. Were they going to use the land appropriately and produce enough to feed their families and a surplus to pass onto the rest of the Zimbabwean market? Or were they going to waste the land and instead turn it into large playgrounds where soil erosion would have told a good story. I guess we will never find out as they have been shown the door.
But all is not lost with that land as we will surely soon see the big wigs being allocated the same land. They have been evicted to make way for the Chefs, after all they need the money as their pockets are not fat enough. Amazing what knowing the "right people" can get you in Zimbabwe.
So I guess it is back to the Diaspora for the ex-diasporas folk if they can still afford flight tickets and for the rest of the locals it is a case of each man for himself and God for us all. All in a day's work.
Sipho Sibanda, Europe ZAWU Chairperson , writing in her personal capacity.
Source - Sipho Sibanda
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