Opinion / Columnist
Zim EFF dismayed by Mnangagwa's decision to compensate White farmers
11 Apr 2019 at 03:12hrs | Views
The Zim EFF is dismayed by the government of Zimbabwe's decision to compensate White farmers for the land that was lawfully and rightfully repossessed under the government's land redistribution programme. It is in the view of Zim EFF, a betrayal of the struggle for economic freedom that the government of Zimbabwe is considering paying compensation to the white farmers for the land they illegally acquired when their forefathers brutally murdered our people and stole their land.
We assert that the land belongs to the indigenous people of Zimbabwe. It is common cause that the indigenous people of Zimbabwe must enjoy the economic, social and spiritual benefit that the land brings to them. Prior to independence and thereafter, the white farmers - of European Ancestry, enjoyed and continue to enjoy superior political and economic status brought about by the proceeds of their forefathers' theft of our land.
We have long memories - we know that between 1890 and 1896 for example, the British South Africa Company granted approximately 16 million acres of our land to the European settlers - this land was given to those men of European Ancestry who were willing to take up arms and defend the colony against the indigenous people's Chimurenga.
We know that the settlers of the Pioneer Column were granted large tracks of land each with an option to purchase more land from the British South Africa Company. This was the land that belonged to our people. The settlers took the land from our people using the power of the gun. Our people were massacred in cold blood by the European settlers. Today, we are utterly dismayed to learn that the Zimbabwe government has decided to take wealth from the poor indigenous people of Zimbabwe to give to the descendants of the European settlers.
Our people fought a bitter and ferocious war of liberation. Among others, the likes of Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole and Robert Mugabe were some of the leading heroes during the Bush war. The war was not only about the attainment of political freedom. It was also about the attainment of economic freedom, equality and dignity of the indigenous people.
Reversing the gains of our hard-fought independence is a treasonous betrayal of the people and a shameful way of surrendering our sovereignty. The compulsory acquisition of land was a fair policy designed to address the wrongs of the past by returning the land to the rightful owners.
President Mnangagwa and his incompetent government is reversing the gains that our people have fought so hard for. We at Zim EFF strongly condemns this blatant act of betrayal. If anything, it is the indigenous people of Zimbabwe who need to be compensated for the loss they suffered for all those years their land had been stolen, their resources had been plundered, their dignity had been trodden and for the many years of suffering humiliation in the hands of European settlers.
We call upon the government of Zimbabwe to STOP IT at once and forever this idea of compensating white farmers. We call upon president ED to instead focus on repossession of land from those with multiple farms. It is an ill thought idea - an idea which betrays the people of Zimbabwe. We call upon the government of Zimbabwe to instead use this money to improve the services that the poor people of Zimbabwe desperately need. The healthcare has collapsed, the education system has collapsed, the economy is on its knees, the critical national infrastructure needs revamping, hardworking workers need to be paid decent wages - it is unbelievable that the government chooses to prioritise giving white farmers millions of dollars of compensation for the land their forefathers stole from our people. We stand resolutely opposed to this insensitive, careless and clueless decision.
We call upon the war veterans to join us to resist this government policy which seeks to reverse the hard-won gains by our people.
We call upon all Zimbabweans to resist this reckless government policy of rewarding the descendants of
Issued by Zim EFF for and to the people of Zimbabwe.
Zim EFF Media Relations
www.zeffighters.com
We assert that the land belongs to the indigenous people of Zimbabwe. It is common cause that the indigenous people of Zimbabwe must enjoy the economic, social and spiritual benefit that the land brings to them. Prior to independence and thereafter, the white farmers - of European Ancestry, enjoyed and continue to enjoy superior political and economic status brought about by the proceeds of their forefathers' theft of our land.
We have long memories - we know that between 1890 and 1896 for example, the British South Africa Company granted approximately 16 million acres of our land to the European settlers - this land was given to those men of European Ancestry who were willing to take up arms and defend the colony against the indigenous people's Chimurenga.
We know that the settlers of the Pioneer Column were granted large tracks of land each with an option to purchase more land from the British South Africa Company. This was the land that belonged to our people. The settlers took the land from our people using the power of the gun. Our people were massacred in cold blood by the European settlers. Today, we are utterly dismayed to learn that the Zimbabwe government has decided to take wealth from the poor indigenous people of Zimbabwe to give to the descendants of the European settlers.
Our people fought a bitter and ferocious war of liberation. Among others, the likes of Joshua Nkomo, Ndabaningi Sithole and Robert Mugabe were some of the leading heroes during the Bush war. The war was not only about the attainment of political freedom. It was also about the attainment of economic freedom, equality and dignity of the indigenous people.
Reversing the gains of our hard-fought independence is a treasonous betrayal of the people and a shameful way of surrendering our sovereignty. The compulsory acquisition of land was a fair policy designed to address the wrongs of the past by returning the land to the rightful owners.
President Mnangagwa and his incompetent government is reversing the gains that our people have fought so hard for. We at Zim EFF strongly condemns this blatant act of betrayal. If anything, it is the indigenous people of Zimbabwe who need to be compensated for the loss they suffered for all those years their land had been stolen, their resources had been plundered, their dignity had been trodden and for the many years of suffering humiliation in the hands of European settlers.
We call upon the government of Zimbabwe to STOP IT at once and forever this idea of compensating white farmers. We call upon president ED to instead focus on repossession of land from those with multiple farms. It is an ill thought idea - an idea which betrays the people of Zimbabwe. We call upon the government of Zimbabwe to instead use this money to improve the services that the poor people of Zimbabwe desperately need. The healthcare has collapsed, the education system has collapsed, the economy is on its knees, the critical national infrastructure needs revamping, hardworking workers need to be paid decent wages - it is unbelievable that the government chooses to prioritise giving white farmers millions of dollars of compensation for the land their forefathers stole from our people. We stand resolutely opposed to this insensitive, careless and clueless decision.
We call upon the war veterans to join us to resist this government policy which seeks to reverse the hard-won gains by our people.
We call upon all Zimbabweans to resist this reckless government policy of rewarding the descendants of
Issued by Zim EFF for and to the people of Zimbabwe.
Zim EFF Media Relations
www.zeffighters.com
Source - Zim EFF Media Relations
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