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Zimbabwean farmers try to halt new invasions
Dumisani Muleya, Business Day (SA)
May 16, 2006

http://www.businessday.co.za/articles/world.aspx?ID=BD4A200656

ZIMBABWE’s embattled white commercial farmers are in fresh talks with government to stop a new wave of land seizures that has hit the farming community.

Commercial Farmers Union (CFU) deputy president Trevor Gifford said yesterday negotiations were under way to stop the latest rash of land grabs, which come shortly after reports that the government was seeking former farmers to take 99-year leases and return to their land.

"There have been people coming with offer letters for land telling farmers that they have to get off the land because they had taken over," Gifford said. "We are talks with the government to resolve the current situation, and I would not really want to comment further on this issue."

Farmers said last week eviction orders, some with just 48 hours’ notice, were served on 20 white landowners in a move seen widely as a renewed threat to clear out the 200 farmers who remain on the land.

Most of the farmers are in the Karoi region in the northern part of the country.

The new evictions fly in the face of Land Reform Minister Flora Bhuka’s recent statement that white farmers would be allowed to return to their farmland on 99-year leases.

Government ministers have continued to contradict each other on the land issue, exposing uncertainty in government on how to take farming and the agriculture sector forward.

When the state-sponsored land seizures began in 2000, the CFU had 4500 members, but the number has shrunk to about 200 due to confiscation.

Although the government has claimed the land-reform programme is over, state officials continue to grab farms.

Deputy Information Minister Bright Matonga is being taken to court for allegedly harvesting billions of dollars worth of the soya beans at Chigwell Estate. The minister claims the crop belongs to him because he had obtained an offer letter for the farm.

He has laid claim to 793ha of Chigwell Estate, which had about 105ha under citrus. Chigwell Estate owner Thomas Beattie said last week Matonga reaped his soya beans and also threatened to harvest seed maize.

"Matonga has already cut soya beans valued at not less than Z$20bn," Beattie said. "He is also threatening to harvest a seed maize valued at Z$150bn which we grew under contract with SeedCo. The threats have forced us to seek an interdict."

Beattie’s lawyer, Ozias Musamirapamwe, has confirmed Matonga is being sued for "unlawful harvests" at the farm.

President Robert Mugabe’s ruling Zanu (PF) MP for Mudzi West, Joseph Christopher Musa, recently invaded the Danish-operated Zengea Farm, which houses Red Dane Dairy on Harare’s outskirts, in defiance of government’s pledge to uphold bilateral investment agreements.

The MP’s gangsters are still camped at the farm and have taken over the butchery manager’s house, the butchery and store.

The Kirk family, which owns the farm, has said Musa stormed Zengea Farm two weeks ago armed with an offer letter dated February 13.

The letter was allegedly signed by Land Reform and Resettlement Minister Didymus Mutasa.

Mass Kirk said the MP four of his invaders squatting outside Zengea butchery.

Mutasa, who supervises Bhuka’s ministry, recently said farmers would not be allowed back.

"No white farmer is being invited back. And why should we offer them such long leases?"

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