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Zimbabwean farmers evicted without payment
Many of Zimbabwe's farmers are still waiting for compensation following government land seizures, writes Helen for UK's Channel 4.
One of the questions on a recent questionnaire sent to evicted, dispossessed commercial farmers asked in part: Would you consider farming on another property as long as the previous owner has been fully and fairly compensated and had voluntarily relinquished his title?
It's a question that raises heated debate and has been raging on in one form another for the last nine years since government land seizures began. The last time I heard the topic being discussed was a fortnight ago outside a small local church on a cold and windy Sunday morning.
A young man in his early 30s who is currently a farm manager on one of the few remaining white-owned commercial farms that is still functioning, is desperate to start up on his own.
He's got training, hands-on experience, expertise, a bit of capital to start up with - but no land.
If this was anywhere else in the world the young farmer would simply go and get a mortgage and buy a farm. Not here!
The young farmer was talking to Joe, an evicted farmer, outside church.
"How would you feel if I leased part of your farm from the war veterans who seized it from you nine years ago?"
Joe, who has not received any compensation for the farm that was taken by the Zimbabwe government, and who still holds the legal title deeds to the farm, shook his head in immediate response to the question.
"Don't do it," Joe said. "That is still my property and will be until I am paid compensation and hand over the title deeds. How can you even consider paying rent for something that you know is stolen property? And to the very people who you know stole it from me?"
"I just want to farm," the youngster said. "Season by season I'm wasting my life and my skills."
"I understand," Joe replied, "but think about it. If you lease my farm from the war veteran who seized it then basically you are rewarding the criminal."
There are accounts of war veterans sub-letting the farms they seized to politicians and army and police personnel.
The young farmer listened in silence as other dispossessed farmers gathered and joined in the conversation.
"The people who settled on our farms haven't got title deeds so they have no legal right to lease out our properties," one said.
"It's not just no title deeds, most of the settlers haven't even got leases for our farms," another said.
"All they've got is 'offer letters' from the government and you can't lease an offer letter!"
"It's even against Zanu PF's own unconstitutional laws to sublet the seized farms!" a third ex-farmer said.
"No bank will ever lend you money to put in a crop on a farm without title deeds," was another comment, and "you can't sell produce that's been grown on land under dispute."
Very soon the conversation turned to eye witness accounts and anecdotes. There are thousands of them after nine years of lawlessness on Zimbabwe's farms.
There are accounts of war veterans subletting the farms they seized to politicians and army and police personnel. Stories of the same farm being given to more than one beneficiary. Tales of scrap metal dealers, electricians, wheeler dealers and dubious businessmen going onto seized farms and dismantling whatever equipment they can find. Digging up water pipes, lifting irrigation pipes, removing borehole rods and water pumps, disconnecting MCB's, removing transforms and much more.
The looted farm fixtures have then been sold and the proceeds shared with the land occupiers. It's a clear case of dealing in and selling stolen property and there are many thousands of examples.
At the end of 15 minutes the young farmer asked again: "So what do I do? All I want is to farm."
There was only one answer and that is to wait. As eager as everyone is to get back to producing, prospering and getting the country working again, the absolute chaos on Zimbabwe's commercial farms remains at the centre of everything.
Growing food without law and order in a country which does not respect legal property rights is like playing Russian Roulette.
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