Back to Index

Justice for Agriculture viewpoint on '99-year leases'
Justice for Agriculture (JAG) Zimbabwe
December 01, 2006

1. The acquisition of the vast majority of these properties is still subject to legal dispute, in terms of the lack of legal procedure followed, the human rights abuses perpetrated and the criminality involved.

2. The State-inspired and sponsored breakdown of the rule of law and the resultant abject disregard for property rights in commercial farming areas has paved the way and allowed for, what has amounted to, wholesale theft of farms, the improvements thereon and in most cases, movable assets in the form of equipment, livestock and even crops, that are not covered under the Land Acquisition Act.

3. The fact that, at this time, no farmers have been compensated, either timeously or equitably, for the improvements on their properties by the State - coupled to the fact that, at some time, the historical dispute over 'tenure of the land' will have to be resolved.

4. As a result of all the above and even under Zimbabwean law, substantial damages arise, which, at this point in time - six years on from the commencement of the illegal evictions of commercial farmers and workers - by far exceed the value of the land and improvements thereon.

The JAG Trust stands firm on our principles and will continue to focus and adhere to the following: -

a) There can be no meaningful future development on any illegally acquired agricultural land, whilst the acquisition of that land and the improvements thereon remains in dispute; where human rights violations and criminality issues exist; and especially, given that no timeous nor equitable compensation, or damages, have been paid - either to the property owners or to the displaced and severely affected farm workers.

b) No subsequent or replacement tenure system can (given the above facts) - by any stretch of the imagination - be put in place, fulfilling the required fundamentals of a tenure system; bankability in a free-market environment to enable the raising of essential short-term and long-term capital; or transferability in a free-market environment.

The JAG Trust firmly believes that the people of Zimbabwe will only achieve true freedom and empowerment through individual ownership of land, especially agricultural land. Not through State ownership.

Visit the JAG Zimbabwe fact sheet

Please credit www.kubatana.net if you make use of material from this website. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons License unless stated otherwise.

TOP